SHINTARO SAKAMOTO - Yoo-Hoo

Four years on from his previous "Like A Fable", Shintaro Sakamoto returns - formerly the leader of Yura Yura Teikoku (until 2011) and, as a solo artist, author of five albums. "Yoo-Hoo" is a touch less electric and synthetic than its predecessor, but all the usual ingredients are there: a mellow groove that makes the ten tracks hypnotic, hints of funk, a jazzy, Caribbean-tinged sway, and a psychedelic mood.

Sakamoto works mainly on atmosphere, on rhythm, on controlling a sound that unfurls through space and builds up layer by layer as the instruments converse with one another, stacking into harmonies and carving out their own room in the fillers scattered here and there.

The voice stands out above all this, unfolding slowly in Japanese that will sound exotic to the many unfamiliar with the language, yet also clear in its patient enunciation of syllables. At times the voice is bolstered by male and female choruses, adding a very understated touch of city pop.

"Yoo-hoo" is nonetheless not an album of dreamy digressions: on tracks like "Justice" and "Dear Grandpa", Sakamoto tackles the political and generational chaos of our times. He does so without raising his voice, but with a keen eye for observation. And then there's "Numb", a track that stands as a one-off in his catalogue: unusually energetic by his standards, it's a muscular, driving funk number bolstered by sax (which also delivers a remarkable solo).

Sakamoto continues his work within the contemporary song form, building an environment and then enlivening it with rhythm and words, with sounds that are sometimes retro and solutions that are thoroughly contemporary. Lounge enough to relax to, funky enough to dance to, pop enough to (try to) hum along.

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14/02/2026