The Boy And The Tree

Susumu Yokota | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 29, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: The Leaf Label
• ASIN: B00006G9TC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,584 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From URB Magazine

Susumu Yokota makes unremarkable house but his ambient albums easily sit alongside classic works from Brian Eno and Aphex Twin. The Boy and the Tree is of the latter category, following in the footsteps of Sakura and Grinning Cat. It’s another curiously organic soundtrack to Yokota’s seemingly idyllic life, music he refers to as his "dream story," inspired by travels in the Japanese mountains and to the remote, rainy island of Yakushima.

New sounds emerge from The Boy and the Tree like moss-draped branches through the mist. Guitars create ripples of melody in otherwise still waters. Drums soon follow, pittering down like raindrops while faraway weird and wonderful Middle Eastern instruments pulsate over cryptic chanting. Yokota says the album reflects the atmosphere of these sanctuaries, also citing the anime Princess Mononoke as highly influential. It’s an apt comparison: Both are stories of terrestrial realms made mythical through the lucid vision of their creators.

Daniel Chamberlin

Product Description

The Boy & The Tree is Yokota’s eleventh album in eight years. The man is not only one of the most prolific musicians of his generation, but also without a doubt one of the most imaginative. He has equally made his mark playing techno, ambient, jazz and electronica, always taking his audience by surprise while building a surprisingly consistent piece of work, making him one of the most respected composers around. Yokota’s follow up to last year’s blissful Ginning Cat and similarly excellent Will is yet another fascinating recording. Jalapeno. 2004. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chill-out music for an oriental garden, July 12, 2003

By 

Phaede (Cabin John, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boy And The Tree (Audio CD)

Traditional oriental and middle eastern instruments and sounds are treated with modern loop-based technology with beautiful and haunting results The Boy and The Tree. Susumu Yokota's musical approach seems to lie somewhere between Phillip Glass and DJ Shadow. Cinematic spookiness starts the CD off in "The Colour of Pomegranates". Gamelan sounds induce a meditative mood in "Live Echo" and "Plateau on Plateau". I found the song "Fairy Link" to unexpectedly be reminiscent of some of Orbital's early work (Halcyon and On in particular). Sounds of the far east met the spaghetti-western ambient guitar of Labradford in "Grass, Tree, and Stone". I felt like I was walking through an oriental garden in "Secret Garden" and "Rose Necklace" and watching the sun rise somewhere in the Middle East in "Beans". The remainder of this wonderful CD maintained a meditative mood with just enough quiet rhythms to keep this 21st century guy awake and nodding appreciatively through to the last tones of the Phillip Glass-inspired "Blood and Snow". All in all this is a very fresh and innovative CD worthy of immediate purchase. Enjoy your walk in Susumu's gardens!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an exotic fantasy world awaits..., March 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boy And The Tree (Audio CD)

This album is your gateway to explore the macabre, haunting, ecstatic and exotic in the faroff dreamlike atmosphere his music evokes. Trenching through vast fields, glistening Asian rainforests, ice-caves, ancient sacred temples, and perhaps even soaring over the misty mountain ranges. Bizarre, dangerous and overwhelming encounters with the supernatural and the raw, flesh and bones. A very colourful, emotional and provocative tale to say the least. You're drawn into a whole new world the moment you press play and eventually have no choice but to let your mind succumb to the exciting and seductive sounds and flow. The only flaw in this album is that all the tracks could potentially continue for at least some 4 - 5 minutes longer and not end so abruptly. Susumu Yokota is a creative mastermind with a unique, unconventional and innovative style. It's rather unfortunate that you're awoken from such a blissful trance with such a sharp ending. There's hundreds of various twists and turns which could continue from where the tracks stop and start. Although, this is an interesting and quite beautiful album - it's definitely worth the listen... and the listen soon becomes a meditative experience.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perfection, December 8, 2007

By 

Bazarov (Amsterdam, Holland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boy And The Tree (Audio CD)

Sakura, Grinning Cat, Distant Sounds of Summer, Wonder Waltz, they all contain out-of-this-world music, but they're also marred by uninspired, repetitive fillers and, most annoying, stupid drum machine breaks.

This album, The Boy and the Tree, is sheer perfection. A flawless, 55 minute amalgam of lovely little tunes and even lovelier pieces of, well, sound. Ideal for dreaming away by (with no drum machines to shock you out of your slumber), but it also lives up to a concentrated listen. A not-to-be-missed disc for lovers of Eno, Hans Joachim Roedelius, and Tim Story.