Reviewed by Shay, Sparkplug
Prism is a befitting title for the latest album from the masterful shamisen-playing sibling duo Yoshida Brothers. Much like a prism, the brothers bend the white light of traditional folk artistry into a brilliant array of modern-infused music.
The smashing Hokkaido-born duo of Ryoichio and Kenichi Yoshida deliver yet another shining work of folk fusion that the brothers are known for, yet with Prism, they still explore a new direction that sports a personality all it’s own.
The album shows the breadth of its inspiration from start to stop. From “The National Anthem”, a Radiohead cover to the Celtic-style “One Long River” to songwriting collaborations with Phantom Planet vocalist Alex Greenwald, Tori Amos drummer Matt Chamberlain, and many others, the Yoshida Brothers really branch out.
The album lifts off in a suprisingly modern direction with “The National Anthem”. The song, bound by a shamisen melody, comes to life as whiffs of percussion, an electric guitar, and vocals waft in and out.
Prism’s second track, “Seven”, sprints in a more familiar direction. Hipness is still intact but “Seven” isn’t as drenched with modernity as its predecessor. A cool, contemporary groove is still there but the accompanying instrumentation is a generation or two in age closer to the shamisen. It’s certainly a track with a sound that fans of the Yoshida Brothers are well acquainted with.
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