A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto – To the Moon and Back is a tribute album to Japanese multi-genre composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, released November 30, 2022, by Milan Records, two days ahead of its original release date.[1] The album features reworked versions of Sakamoto's songs, referred to as "remodels", by artists including Devonté Hynes, the Cinematic Orchestra, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Alva Noto, and David Sylvian.
| A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto – To the Moon and Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by Ryuichi Sakamoto and various artists | ||||
| Released | November 30, 2022 | |||
| Length | 72:07 | |||
| Label | Milan | |||
| Producer | Ryuichi Sakamoto | |||
| Ryuichi Sakamoto and various artists chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from To the Moon and Back | ||||
| ||||
Release
editThe first single, American bass guitarist Thundercat's version of the song "Thousand Knives", title track to the album of the same name, was released as a single on October 5, 2022.[2][3][4] The second single, Electric Youth's take on "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", was released November 16.[5][6]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Crack | 8/10[7] |
| The Irish Times |   [8] |
| Mojo | [9] |
Pitchfork's Philip Sherburne called Alva Noto's rendition of "The Sheltering Sky" "one of the simplest yet most moving pieces" of the album which "represents a captivating fusion of the two men's sensibilities." Sherburne also called other cuts "remarkable", including those from Sylvian, Guðnadóttir, and Fennesz.[10]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Ryuichi Sakamoto with additional writers noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Walker" (from Async) | Lim Giong | 4:42 | |
| 2. | "Grains (Sweet Paulownia Wood)" (from utp_) | Carsten Nicolai | David Sylvian | 7:13 |
| 3. | "Thousand Knives" (from the album of the same name) | Thundercat | 5:26 | |
| 4. | "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" | Electric Youth | 5:09 | |
| 5. | "Thatness & Thereness" (from B-2 Unit) | Cornelius | 3:35 | |
| 6. | "World Citizen I Won't Be Disappointed" (from the World Citizen EP) | Guðnadóttir | 5:42 | |
| 7. | "The Sheltering Sky" (from the soundtrack of the same name) | Alva Noto | 4:49 | |
| 8. | "Amore" (from Beauty) | Arto Lindsay | Fennesz | 4:40 |
| 9. | "Choral No 1" (from Sakamoto: For Mr. Lawrence Piano Music) | Devonté Hynes featuring Emily Schubert | 3:02 | |
| 10. | "DNA" (from the Tony Takitani soundtrack) | The Cinematic Orchestra | 4:32 | |
| 11. | "With Snow & Moonlight" (from Snow, Silence, Partially Sunny by Sachiko M) | Sachiko M | Otomo Yoshihide | 12:49 |
| 12. | "Forbidden Colors" | David Sylvian | Gabrial Wek | 6:35 |
| 13. | "The Revenant Main Theme" (from The Revenant soundtrack) | 404.Zero | 3:53 | |
| Total length: | 72:07 | |||
Personnel
edit- Ryuichi Sakamoto – producer
- Lim Giong – producer (1)
- David Sylvian – producer (2)
- Thundercat – producer (3)
- Taylor Graves – producer (3)
- Vic Wainstein – engineer (3)
- Electric Youth – producer (4)
- Cornelius – producer (5)
- Toyoaki Mishima – mixing engineer (5)
- Hildur Guðnadóttir – recording engineer (6)
- Skúli Sverrisson – recording engineer (6)
- Sam Slater – mixing engineer (6)
- Alva Noto – producer (7)
- Fennesz – producer (8)
- Devonté Hynes – producer (9)
- Emily Schubert – vocals, vocal producer (9)
- The Cinematic Orchestra – producer (10)
- Otomo Yoshihide – producer (11)
- 404.Zero – producer (13)
- Francesco Fabris – mixing engineer (13)
References
edit- ^ Helfand, Raphael (November 30, 2022). "Thundercat, Devonté Hynes, and more honor Ryuichi Sakamoto on To the Moon and Back". The Fader. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (October 5, 2022). "Listen to Thundercat's Ryuichi Sakamoto Cover From New Tribute Album To the Moon and Back". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ Cardenas, Federico (October 5, 2022). "Thundercat Covers Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Thousand Knives" From New Tribute Album To the Moon and Back". Mxdwn.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ Doherty, Kelly (October 5, 2022). "Ryuichi Sakamoto tribute album set for release this December". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ Electric Youth [@_electricyouth] (November 16, 2022). "From @SonyMasterworks, a window into the world of our "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" version for Mr. @ryuichisakamoto" (Tweet). Retrieved November 19, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Brodsky, Rachel (December 2, 2022). "Stream the New Ryuichi Sakamoto Tribute Featuring Fennesz, David Sylvian, Dev Hynes, Cornelius, & More". Stereogum. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Quarshie, Adam (January 17, 2023). "A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto – To the Moon and Back review". Crack. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (December 30, 2022). "To the Moon and Back: A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto – Electronic pioneer gets a non-reverential remodelling". The Irish Times. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ Cowan, Andy (January 2023). "Various - A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto – To the Moon and Back". Mojo. p. 91. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ Sherburne, Philip (December 13, 2022). ""The Sheltering Sky - Alva Noto Remodel"". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 15, 2022.