Ryuichi Sakamoto async
Album stream , Apr 25, 2017

"It’s full of church organs, hazy reverb, rippling synths and poetry about mortality and eternity, as well as Sakamoto’s distinctive piano, sonar bleeps and unforgettable melodies. It’s arguably the most beautiful record you’ll hear this year."

100 % Mixmag

"async is the work of an authentically great artist that may well be entering a rich new phase of his 42-year career."

90 % Exclaim

"The tracks on async are more often gentle sighs of relief suffused with a reawakened wonderment at the beauty of simple sounds created by man made instruments and the natural world."

87 % Paste Magazine

"The musical language of Ryuichi Sakamoto is esoteric and also innately relatable. Ultimately, it is beautiful."

85 % Under The Radar

"Understandably ruminative in nature, it’s a renewed sense of creative vigour which provides the driving force on a piece of work which stands among the composer’s best."

80 % Record Collector

"async is more closely aligned with his 21st-century experimental side and his ongoing collaborations with the likes of Christian Fennesz, Alva Noto, and Christopher Willits. But there’s a warmth and fragility to the album here that makes it stand apart from these works."

80 % Pitchfork

"Ryuichi Sakamoto is back and shows no signs of being boring or predictable. For this, we should all be thankful."

80 % PopMatters

"Async is certainly not one of Sakamoto's most accessible albums, but if the listener is willing to devote several listens until it all makes sense, it ends up being quite powerful."

80 % AllMusic

"At its best moments, async combines Sakamoto's history in acoustic music with his legacy in electronic music."

80 % Resident Advisor

"Async gives the sensation of being inside an art installation, where everything you’re supposed to be thinking is spelled out for you on little white gallery cards. Async works far better when Sakamoto lets the music mirror that existential ambiguity."

75 % The A.V. Club