Akiko Yano – “ごはんができたよ” review

Final verdict: 10/10 ★★★★★

Could it be, we finally found a double album that’s so great, it actually justifies every single minute of its runtime?

Akiko Yano’s 1980 release “ごはんができたよ” is one beefy album, clocking in at 74 minutes. Yes, that’s long, admittedly far longer than what I’d usually go for. However, every song contributes something to the tracklist, and the whole album turns out to be this incredible epic, combining synth-pop and more traditional pop elements, all with a jazzy tinge (though not quite as jazzy as Yano’s earlier works).

Co-produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto, was there any chance this album would be anything short of brilliant? Surely not, but I assure you, that fact is far from the most outstanding thing about this record. “ごはんができたよ” features some top-notch songwriting (done by Yano herself, for the most part), and that fact alone places the album in the top league, as far as pop music is concerned. But the goodness of it all gets pumped up to the max with the help of Yano’s eccentric, at times operatic-esque vocal delivery. To say it’s delightful would be an understatement, she sells each song remarkably well. It’d been a while since I had last heard such an interesting, expressive, easily discernible voice. She’s got a vocal style that’s uniquely hers, and she perfectly incorporates it into her music, making the absolute most of what is possibly her greatest asset.

This record starts off incredibly strong with “ひとつだけ”, which is a stunning song – much more could be said about it, but I can’t think of any other adjective that captures its essence as effectively as the word “stunning”. I suppose plain ol’ “beautiful” could work too, though that would be a bit of an understatement, don’t you agree?

Anyway, I digress. A string of excellent songs follows (“在広東少年” springs to mind as another highlight), until the album starts to feel like it drops off at some point around “Dogs Awaiting”. But it doesn’t leave much room for the listener to get bored, before slapping them in the face with a Yellow Magic Orchestra cover – “Tong Poo”, of all songs. And what a cover, simply brilliant! After that point, it doesn’t slack off at all, not until the very end. I mean, its second half features songs like the progressive “げんこつやまのおにぎりさま” and “てはつたえる→てつだえる” – how could one argue the fact this album is nothing but bangers, front to back? It’s clear to see.

Overall, this album is a wild ride, in the most endearing way possible. It borders on weird and surreal and words fail to express how much I love it for that. It’s colorful, thrilling, full of wonder. Not many can pull such an album off – but Yano did.

You’re going to need a breather after this one, because there’s only so much serotonin one’s system can release in such a short amount of time. This is, most assuredly, a 10/10 record, even if you ignore the overly-romanticized context surrounding it, that is 1980s Japan. A masterpiece, no doubt.