Ryuichi Sakamoto - Chasm

As I watched the movie 'Babel', I could not help but shed tears at an ambient piece of music that played when the japanese teenagers were having some fun out in the city; that tune was very moving...and it so happens to be a track in this very album: 'Only Love Can Conquer Hate'. It really is a beautiful track. Ryuichi layers a soothing ambient/sonic texture with some contrasting soundscapes - clearly capturing and expressing the meaning of the track's title - where the love really conquers the hate. So true!!

Chasm is Ryuichi with an edge; his compassion and anger at the state of the world today is palpable in this album. The tracks here, whilst bearing Ryuichi's trademark style and melody, are strongly influenced by the electronica scene.

"Undercooled" is a Korean rap/hip-hop outing, infused with electronic pop. MC Sniper appears to be asking people of the world to chill out at a time when tempers are getting overheated.

"Coro" reminds one of the abrasive and corrosive power of noise electronics that Masami Akita is famous for, albeit with more sense of rhythm (it's Ryuichi afterall). "Chasm" is a restlessly twitching electronic piece, but this time the stutter-glitch style resembles more of Alva Noto's works. "Only Love Can Conquer Hate" is a beautifully-crafted ambient piece, a little reminiscent of The Orb's 1997 b-side "Rose Tinted (Dal Vivo A Roma)". "Break With" is a heart-breaking electronic piece, featuring traditional Chinese instruments wailing sadly.

"War & Peace" has dozens of people with accents the world over asking intriguing questions about war and peace, a subject that Ryuichi is often passionate about. The accompaniment runs along in stutter-glitch style again, but it is surprisingly smooth and coherent.

The famous single off this album is, of course, "World Citizen". There are two versions here, each entirely necessary for inclusion in the album. David Sylvian's calm vocals lament about the state of affairs today; whilst the re-cycled version is primarily instrumental and depressing in the context of the song.

Skipping other tracks to shorten this review, the album ends with the incredibly melodic Seven Samurai, the main theme for PlayStation 2's game of the same name.

Chasm is a well-written, well-produced work of Art.