gezan/mwc album was one of my favourites of 2023

I've been rocking a lot of Tori Amos and The Cure late winter coming into the spring.

I think Tori's first two albums, Little Earthquakes and Under The Pink are just essential listening. Very beautiful emotional music, her voice is so beautiful on those albums. She has a very expansive discography that I could go on about for ages but those two albums are a great place to start especially for a Joni fan.

https://youtu.be/KWmETxWM0h0?list=P.....DXDvk-eFsO4MRP

I have been enjoying The Cure as a band that gives me room for whimsy and depression without being too cloying or fatalistic. A song for every occasion. I have been enjoying their live albums lately.

Your words about Ryuichi Sakamoto makes me trust these music choices, and I will be listening to these throughout the week.
Speaking of, I'd love to hear your thoughts on those Sakamoto albums you've listed (and potentially any other ones..)

ah! almost forgot to add suggestions too.
Not really a suggestion, but lately I've been listening to Ryuichi Sakamoto's Heartbeat Tour, CM WORKS 1, CM/TV WORKS 2, and Beauty as of late.

ill give my thoughts on each! his discography is so large and varied that i feel like i can always find great stuff even when i least expect it. but as for my thoughts on each of these, uh, yeah, ill go through in order!
left-handed dream feels like being put into a trance. i really love his singing voice and the simple repetitive lyrics and instrumentation are calming, tranquil and profound. i love that album...
the adventures of chatran soundtrack is so sentimental, when i listen to his music i can feel the emotions hes evoking so vividly, and in the music for chatran i feel.... like a little kitten. its rly as simple as that
thousand knives is a classic, and i mainly listen to it for the title track bc its such a groove. i didnt mention it in this list for SOME REASON?? but another album that is full of just endless grooves is Futurista, idk why i forgot bc i listen to that one all the time. the first half is like the stereotype when you think of like 80's synth music but its so exuberant and joyful in those first songs. the vocals (not him in most tracks, unfortunately) are also pretty great. idk why i spent the entire time talking about futurista and not thousand knives. thousand knives is just a great song, thats all. ill probably bring up more individual tracks that i like as i go through.
Smoochy is like really loungy and bossanova-y and its just a vibe for when im looking for that type of thing. its also one where he sings on almost every track so it really cant go wrong. i didnt get this album at first but ive started to love it more as time has gone on
and Neo Geo just has these songs that are so rough and dynamic and cool, the vocals on the title track just go insane, the rest of the tracks are amazing too (i usually find that i pick and choose tracks i like from his albums but idk if Neo Geo has a bad track, unless you count the multiple different versions of Risky.) like, Shogonade feels like somebody is slamming a pickaxe into my brain mining for precious gems. and honestly i straightup laughed my ass off the first time i heard Risky but i started to love it and now i just echolalia "born in a corperate dungeon.... where people are cheated of life...." all the time
some i didnt mention that i also really like:
Esperanto is full of really really cool experimental tracks full of weird texture, i love the way its able to use negative space. in songs like Dolphins the pure composition of sound is like, mind bending.
CHASM is not very good but War And Peace is such a good song and despite the silliness of the vocal performances it was impossible for me not to cry when i heard it for a while.

i love sakamoto, my love for him started when i watched Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, which might be a pretty common experience. it may have started as a crush? i dont deny that he is a heartthrob to me, but the music in that movie really moved me, so i decided to explore his stuff and it was a real journey, finding some of my favorite music ever. i think its about time i dive in even further, i'll check out the stuff you mentioned, and ill give albums that didnt connect at first a second try, bc they usually do grow on me. no matter what it is his music just has this power thats hard to describe. anyway im glad to be followed by sakamoto fans, thank you for the question!

Did not expect a write up in this level of detail but it is greatly welcomed! I'd say that we both have similar tastes in regards to his music overall, and towards him in general.
I would love to go on and talk up Sakamoto's works, especially the albums you listed, so I think I'll go ahead and talk about some of the personal stand out songs in those albums you've listed.

Kachyakuchyane is probably the epitome of Sakamoto's appeal to me. It's not a very complex track, it's just a simple repeating melody and rhythm, with Sakamoto's vocals in the mix too. The progression through the song as it adds instrumentation while still keeping that simple base is just so appealing to me.
Left Handed Dream def has some killer songs like Venezia, but Kachyakuchyane is able to captivate me in a strange way the the others do not. If you haven't I recommend checking out The Arrangement, as there are plenty of similar tracks that maintain their compositions but instead have lyrics from Robin Scott. (And since you love the sound of Sakamoto's voice def check it out for Front Line which happens to be on there)
Adventures of Chatran was one that for the longest time I was hesitant to put into my regular listening playlists but have now since then come around on. I used to be super hesitant on adding the whole album on account of the song 魚つり being too shrill, but now I absolutely love that song. Once again another track that starts out with a simple repeating melody and is slowly being added onto with more instrumentation. The whole vibe of the song just gives off a feeling of total tranquillity.. Until it is interrupted by some pretty harsh piano chords and harmonica, which initially I thought was off putting, but Sakamoto is somehow able to bring it back to the initial melody and make it soothing once more. I frequently find myself listening to this particular track often these days..
I don't have to talk about thousand knives, that album speaks for itself LOL
Futurista is an amazing album! Lots of good variety in that album that really has that "futurist" vibe to it. As for my favorite track, I couldn't decide between picking Kodo Kogen and Ballet Mecanique but they both have a similar sound to them that talking about one covers the other. These two tracks are so innocent sounding, and have a vague sense of wistfulness but with an uplifting rhythm to it. It's so fascinating hearing these two tracks alongside the rest of Futurista. It's a little corny but for Kodo Kogen, when the chorus comes in I cannot help but feel connected emotionally on a raw level to humanity; I feel unified in some strange way..
As for the rest, I won't go too into detail since we have pretty similar opinions and I've yet to fully listen to Esperanto, Chasm, and Smoochy.

If you haven't definitely check out Sweet Revenge (Japanese Version), Summer Nerves, Ongaku Zukan, B-2 Unit, L.O.L., and maybe some of the works from his collaborators (Haruomi Hosono especially).

Initially my exposure to Sakamoto and his associates was through listening to his ex-wife, Akiko Yano's work and slowly branching out from there. I'm pretty surprised to hear that your interest in him began with the movie Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, I always figured most people caught onto him for the titular track itself and not the movie. But then again, Sakamoto is kind of a handsome fella, I cannot help but blush when looking at his face plastered on albums LOL

and since I hardly get an opportunity to talk about his voice, the way Sakamoto sings. The gentle, breathy way that he sings feels so vulnerable, especially so with the lyrics to his songs. I feel at peace listening to his voice. Heatbeat's English version of Sayonara, B-2 Unit's Thatness and Thereness, Sweet Revenge's Psychedelic Afternoon, and Front Line are all some of my favorite tracks that feature him singing in english..
Also, I'm so glad you responded! The initial response to my 羽の林で.. comment and this one really made my day!

Some Various Links to Sakamoto Related Stuff
https://youtu.be/ALcq6JIAkj8?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/gDlEM0k4c-g?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/xqZdocjYQdk?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/6M0mYjmv1B8?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/EA-8r-VI618?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/24bRSUeITXc?feature=shared

(augh, I forgot to reply to your reply lol)

pretty much everything youve sent and mentioned is just like ideal and absolutely perfect. THANK YOU!!

also i feel so similarly about his voice

I TOTALLY FORGOT TO MENTION ILLUSTRATED MUSICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA TOO. I LOVE THAT ALBUM. i suppose it was clear with my reference to Forest of Feathers.

he just has too much god damn good music

Im a big music guy been so all my life. I listend to some of this stuff but i fear that i may be out of my knowledge to help offer anything related, but i can give something new if you want to try. IDK if my two cents will help but here we go.

Ive noticed a lot of people taking a shine to late 78s japanese synth and funk jazz music lately, maybe because its a precursor to video game soundtracks and chiptune perhaps? I honestly know nothing about this for the most part But what i am aware of and have found fills me with wonder and nostalgia is Japanese 80's neo prog. It takes the elements of european symphonic prog and doubles down on the more fantastical subjects than the avantgarde and it often has a lot of beautiful artwork to go with it. It has a lot of power to it and definitely feels like stories from another world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWRwOHwDQ1Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POqT_Gi64c0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx_RyRr9b_o

For you other artists doing post emo and indie rock, thats a genre i barely got into at all though I was presented with some as a kid. Namely a group called Eric's Trip and another called Modest Mouse. They burn some pure 90s grunge energy but they have sentimental parts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUdqxOmqvcg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqx0iWMcOoo

Something I regularly gush on about that was on the peripherery of 90s indie music and synthy ambient and dreamy rock music was Projekt Records. Starting in the early 80s they were critical to the creation of 'ethereal music' in the USA and around the world and acted as a very arty bridge between indie rock and goth culture. Their stuff is powerfully emotional in my mind. Sometimes also very erotic LOL being the label head was a raging sub who seemed to always try and make sex arty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XD2dU8sj7g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcwAr7Igz7E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwukHwWhjwQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8YadsONjg

Oh and because even i know no one should live with soft vulnerable music all the time that makes them anxious and dismayed.... heres some very synthy but badass 80s french queer rage and fun that always gets me off my chair and kicking down doors in high heels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug-.....vNvSt7t5A7Zt-H

wow, i did not expect to see a reply from you! thank you for the recs, ill check them all out and maybe return with some thoughts

Well thanks. As ive said music is a huge thing with me and ive got decades of experience enjoying it. And hey sometimes i look at pages of people who give me really thoughtful comments :p

i've got lots to catch up on with listening this year, esp new stuff, but chuquimamani-condori has been one of those artists that consistently feels like in a lane of their own and of their own making, very inspiring creator