YMO poll: Sakamoto vs. Hosono vs. Takahashi

one reason for the high quality across the board is that they were all playing and contributing songs on each other's albums, even the solo ones.

Naughty Boys is basically a perfect pop album

of the rest, I'd say Left Handed Dream, Philharmony, and Neuromantic. those Sakamoto albums are all over the map though. the Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence OST is great but it may not be what you're expecting. it sounds like the Link to the Past soundtrack.

I still haven't heard Left Handed Dream! But Philharmony rules. "Luminescent-Hotaru" is maybe the best single song out of albums from the ones i've heard out of the list above.

er...sorry i mangled that, but you know what i mean. i am having a nice ymo & friends afternoon, thanks thread

in light of recent discush on the hosono thread i'd be interested in knowing how people feel about this 10 years on. i suspect that the scales will tip even further in hosono and takahashi's favour? for me it's unequivocally sakamoto, i can't even consider the question rationally tbh, his post-debussian harmonic sensibility appeals to me on such a deeply visceral level

also his capacity for "rigorous" (lol) experimentation outside the formal strictures of conventional pop music, especially in the latter part of his career, for me sets him apart from the other two (who i also love ofc but for different reasons)

this is probably kind of a boring convo actually now that i think about it haha