Susumu Yokota: Grinning Cat


It is a testament to Lewis Carroll that his work, most notably Alice In Wonderland, has served as a springboard to such an abundance of artists. The newest visitor down the rabbit hole is Susumu Yokota’s Grinning Cat, an album about as richly constructed and temptingly exotic as Carroll’s famous text.

“Imagine” is the instant head trip that starts the album. Without further ado, the listener is escorted into a different world. Looped chants are the only vocals, layered over skittering percussion and a dreamy piano. Horns signify the arrival of “King Dragonfly” as the rest of the ambience cuts out on the speakers, giving way to a fast dance beat. Aphex Twin makes for a useful comparison, but only useful in that it provides a ballpark estimation of the type of sound—and type of talent—to expect. But make no mistake, Yokota’s Cat prowls in a jungle of its own.

A start-stop piano melody triggers the heavy sound of “Card Nation,” which lapses into “Sleepy Eye.” The basic melody of “Sleepy Eye” soothes, but the lazy river ride is provocatively interrupted by strange shouts from the shore and the abrupt cuts that punctuate the album’s early journeys.

Each song is capable of switching moods several times. The buoyant tribal rhythms of “Fearful Dream,” for instance, suddenly shifts down several tempos with a piano and a synthesizer. The listener is Alice, and she never knows what beast or wonder may wait around the corner. Up next is the downright creepy “Tears Of A Poet,” with the most sinister vocal leering this side of Rammstein. Two and a half minutes later, an inexplicably mellow jazz solo is spliced in. It’s the last thing you’d expect, and the only thing that could work so well.

Grinning Cat is an album best served by your best stereo equipment. If possible, put on your best stereo headphones, turn out the lights, and take the plunge. Awaiting you is one of the best-produced electronic albums of the year.

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