Sylvian on new Sakamoto album async

[Tin Bird]

This is a great piece to sleep to if you have not heard it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccR4RvZwuEc

[lukasgardiner]

can i just say how much i love the discussion on here?

[Tin Bird]

[Simonp]

I don't mind some of these abstract formless pieces from time to time but they're almost like installation music without the installation. By that I mean they don't really serve any purpose other than to increasingly frustrate us and pander after something that we're likely to listen to more than once before shoving it in the cupboard. It's not as if Sylvian isn't still capable of writing a beautiful pop song, Do You Know Me Now? gets played regularly in my home. It's got everything I want from Sylvian the songwriter, melody, wonderful vocal and a lyric that was just spot on given what it references. all these ad hoc single track projects and reading text contributions seem a bit random though, there's no focus to what he does now. There's all kinds of murmurings about new record deals with Universal, new management, and an almost completed album of actual pop songs. But if and when that does get released will he have any fans left to be interested?

[Tin Bird]

I really love Do You Know Me Now? Great track.

[Blemished]

There's all kinds of murmurings about new record deals with Universal, new management, and an almost completed album of actual pop songs. But if and when that does get released will he have any fans left to be interested?

Hi Simon. Can you expand on this at all? It's all very intriguing - the work with Rupert Coulson etc. And i noticed on iTunes that Naoshima was under licence to UMC Universal (strangely neither Blemish nor Manafon are available on there any more). Maybe that's just the old EMI publishing deal, but Universal Music Classics is the home of ECM (who offered to sign him before I think?) and Mercury KX - who have Olafur Arnalds on the roster and I could imagine David being at home with too.

I do think the balance of his recent work has tipped too far towards improvised instrumentals and recitations. I love Manafon - unlike many - but that was 8 years ago now and a vocal album is well overdue. I think something like 'Fire in the Forest' is one of his most successful fusions of a classic song with modern soundscapes; Do you know me know? is similar. If he had an albums worth of material like that I think he could find a good audience for it, especially if something was picked up for a soundtrack - or something to help alert the wider world.

[chlorine]

Perhaps the contributors to this forum can take some comfort from Mr. Sylvian’s latest offerings? After all these conform to a pattern. Sylvian often follows song-based albums with instrumental albums. When he does release an album with vocals it is often remarkable and original.

[lukasgardiner]

i prefer to live in: the "he'll be back in a big way pop-wise" world... there are so many exquisite (reportedly) vocal offerings sitting on shelves ---

- joan as policewoman duets project
- isabelle adjani duet on obispo project (not his fault!)
- and much more i'm sure