What a wonderful boom of popularity Masayoshi Takanaka is enduring at the moment. Gutted many may have bene to miss out on tickets to his Brixton Academy shows, his Crystal Palace Bowl gig will give thousands the chance to experience the beauty of Seychelles live. Takanaka hasn’t performed in the UK before this year, not with his originals, anyway. It’s a chance to see the novelty turned necessary, from that surfboard guitar to the calming qualities of Seychelles, arguably his best album. One of the very best albums of all time, and that’s not being wrapped up in the spirit and sense of modern-day Takanaka love. A lot of what Takanaka does right is in detailing articulate and often complex rock structures as easy-listening experiences. He’s a gifted guitarist and because of that manages to maintain a cool, cruising instrumental style that sticks for much of Seychelles. Oh! Tengo Suerte may be a viral sensation but long before it was, it was a tropical jazz high point and Takanaka’s first solo album.
Three years before this, Takanaka had been a part of Sadistic Mika Band and making pop and glam rock thrills. He transitions into the delicate and breezy sounds of Seychelles with ease. Never has an album title represented so purely and clearly the sentiment of an album. You don’t need words to move a listener. An incredible segue into Tokyo Reggae follows, two of the finest Takanaka tracks, back-to-back. Instrumentally formidable. One of those delicacies to enjoy on a hot summer evening. There’s very little better than hearing Takanaka’s striking and often impressive guitar work while you’re beating the heat. Beyond the complexity and instrumental know-how, Seychelles is, more than anything, a wonderfully catchy experience. A lot of that depends on the funk fundamentals, the steady, wailing guitar work of those first two tracks sets the scene. Shinkirouno Shimae is on hand to bring us back down to earth, and delicately so, after the instrumental blowout at the start of Seychelles.
Nothing short of delightful in that first half. Instrumental bliss. Some of the best instrumental work you’ll hear irrespective of genre or decade. Much of what’s lost in guitar work now can be rekindled here with Takanaka. It’s not even that less is more but the spirit of playing for the joy of it, not overcomplicating it or having the guitar be the standout, even when it’s the lead instrument, is crucial. Seychelles maintains that quality across the album. It delves into deeper funk grooves on Funkee Mah-Chan, the only time Takanaka sounds as though he’s following the influences of the times on Seychelles. Groovy thrills the whole way through and what Takanaka nails more than anything is the mood, celebratory and cool, funky but firm in its instrumental ability. There’s nothing quite like the opening two tracks but there’s plenty fun to be had with Birdisland Kyuukou. It feels ready to delve into a darker subject but never does. All a bit of fun, either way.
Not just a tribute to the Seychelles islands but an influential piece of Japanese rock history. Takanaka had influenced and innovated elsewhere, but when he launched his solo career he found himself riffing with such a unique guitar presence. It’s a wonderful listen and while there’ll be those who tap out after Tokyo Reggae, what he manages to do on the likes of Tropic Birds and Sayonara Fujisan is nothing short of mesmerising. Exceptional work the whole way through, albeit not up to the high bar set by Oh! Tengo Suerte and Tokyo Reggae. To be fair to Takanaka, though, not many musicians are up to that bar, let alone his own works.
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