His best album, especially for fans of Groove Salad radio
Brian | Boise, ID USA | 02/18/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"My first exposure to Sunahara was hearing Sony Romantic Electro Wave on the Groove Salad radio station on the Internet, and I was immediately hooked. I ended up hearing three or four other tracks from him on the station, and I can say that I liked all of them. After delving through his back catalogue and hearing everything he's had to offer, I think that Take Off and Landing is his best work. The repetitiveness of his songs is a knock on him, and I can't argue against that claim. There are a few songs on here that I simply can't sit through in any mood, although there are also a couple I've managed to get used to and even appreciate over time. But whereas his Pan Am album can sound clunky and disjointed and his Lovebeat album cold and sterile (never mind his Crossover album unless you're strictly a fan of dance pop), Take Off and Landing is otherwise a lovely and textured album loosely based around a sci-fi/airport theme.
The aforementioned Sony Romantic Electro Wave is the first Sunahara track I ever heard, and it's still my favorite. I can and do listen to that track over and over. The woman's vocals are so heavily processed that I can only understand maybe half of the lyrics, but that only adds to the mystique and the heavenly bliss generated by the song. Any fan of mid-tempo "moody with a good beat" music who's curious about Sunahara should listen to this track to see if he's an artist that you'd be interested in exploring. There are faster, more danceable tracks on the album. But I think his mid-tempo songs are where he shines best. Other standouts for me are Sun Song '80 (which gets a nice bossa nova treatment on the Pan Am album) and the album closer Welcome to Japan. The haunting-but-beautiful My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose seems a little out of place on the album, but I still like it a lot.
Start with this album, and then branch out to the other albums if you like it. It's too bad we haven't heard anything from him recently. Maybe the Japanese fans get to see or hear him producing or DJ'ing on a regular basis, but his fans outside of Japan have a tough time figuring out what he's doing and if he'll ever put out another album. His official website is outdated and provides no clue as to what he's been up to. If anyone knows what's going on with his career, I hope someone leaves some info here."
Simply amazing.
Jordan D | California | 04/08/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This whole album continues to blow me away. And, I'd like to make a small note regarding a fellow reviewer's review: I personally think the tracks he referred to getting mad at due to their "annoyance level" are actually quite good. In particular, track 6, "2300 Hawaii", is gorgeous. Elegant beats are accompanied by various layered samples and subtle vocals that are very laidback and suited to the mood of the song. Plus, they're pretty funny: "Did you try the shrimp dip? Would you like a mai tai?" Well, trust me, they're amusing in the song's context. The album is a great one to put on and chill out to... It's very easy to just get lost in the music. But, at the same time, it's also very nice to have on when you're doing something creative, a la painting, writing or perhaps juggling chainsaws. The bottom line, is you people should go listen to this. If you found yourself looking at this album's page for any reason at all, then you'll probably like it."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1