A1 Long Long Silk Bridge
A2 Purple Rose Minuet
A3 Traveler In The Wonderland
A4 Song Of The Sleeping Forrest
A5 The Plateau Which The Zephyr Of Flora Occupies
A6 Fairy Dance Of Twinkle and Shadow
B1 Flaming Love And Destiny
B2 The Dying Black Swan
B3 Blue Sky And Yellow Sunflower
B4 Capriccio And The Innovative Composer
B5 I Close the Door Upon Myself
B6 Symbol Of, Life, Love, And Aesthetics
B7 Music From The Lake Surface
PRZEZROCZYSTY WINYL
The late, great Susumu Yokota made many terrific records, though few are quite as revered as 2004 set Symbol, which up until last year had only ever been available on CD. It got a limited vinyl pressing in Japan in late 2021 and is now available worldwide thanks to this vinyl pressing from Lo Recordings.
The album itself is simply stunning: a perfectly pitched fusion of neo-classical orchestration, melancholic piano motifs, ambient textures, sampled vocal refrains and beats that variously touch on instrumental hip-hop, IDM and soft-focus Latin grooves.
Atmospheric, evocative, melodic and impeccably produced, it remains Yokota's most musically expansive and cinematic release. It's the sort of set that everyone needs in their life, whether or not they're a confirmed admirer of the Japanese artist's other work.