Prism

Yoshida Brothers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 5, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Domo Records
• ASIN: B0026IQTMW
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,220 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #15 in Music > World Music > Far East & Asia > Japan
  • #20 in Music > World Music > Far East & Asia > General AAS
  • #20 in Music > World Music > Far East & Asia > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Contemporary Shamisen Album!, October 24, 2010

By 

Delmar B. Ihle "Photo-Arts" (Orange Park, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prism (Audio CD)

This album was our introduction to the Yoshida Brothers. I'm not a music expert in any way, nonetheless I really enjoy listening to Yoshida music. Their instrumentation is superb and the overall sound gives us that wonderful "Nippon" feeling. The Yoshida Brother's technique seems precise and is very musical. This is wonderful contemporary music with very traditional instruments. Ichi-ban!

5.0 out of 5 stars Spunky - Fun - Playful - CREATIVE!, February 25, 2012

By 

M. C. Hewins (Spokane, Washington USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prism (Audio CD)

This album was a great find! I love it. I'd never heard of the Yoshida Brothers before, but they popped up on my Pandora Trip-Hop station with the "End of the World" track. Which is an amazing song. Upon further research, I was super-surprised to find out that I was listening to a duo of traditional Japanese Tsugaru shamisen virtuosos. This album is not available for download here on amazon (what a shame!), so I ordered the CD on the strength of the "End of the World Track", but I didn't really know what to expect. I was delightfully surprised when the first track was a cover of Radiohead's The National Anthem.

I am not a purist of this genre like the other reviewers here seem to be, I simply love good non-lyrical music. My favorite genre is trip-hop, and there is a lot here for a trip-hop fan to gravitate towards. "Seven" "Red Bird" and especially "The End of the World" conjure up comparisons to Portishead's Dummy. "Hujin" sounds like Japanese Dueling Shamisen! The Yoshida Brothers have created a wonderful musical gem that is steeped in the tradition of the shamisen, yet creative enough to fully modernize and bring this traditional Japanese instrument into the 21st century and to a worldwide audience.

I look forward to exploring the rest of the Yoshida Brother's catalog. Prism is a truly innovative and creative delight!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A lukewarm endorsement for this amalgam, February 12, 2011

By 

loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Prism (Audio CD)

"Prism" seems the perfect name for this CD by the Yoshida Brothers, both experts on the shamisen, as they use a traditional Japanese instrument to interpret modern music. The percussion and bass foil the strings (there are also guitars) and keyboards add a triple Z smooth jazz vibe. The vocal tracks tilt the recording even more into the light jazz area.

Overall, the CD sounds brittle and bright, and everyone is trying too hard to crystalize something special, a fusion of funk, jazz, rock, and folk that never approaches the best elements of either. The brothers play with both abandon and finesse, but I just cannot summon much more than a lukewarm endorsement for this amalgam.