TOKAI / KUSURI WO TAKUSAN

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

This 7-inch pairing brings together two of the most distinctive tracks from Taeko Ohnuki’s 1977 album SUNSHOWER, a record that helped connect Japanese singer-songwriter music with jazz fusion, crossover, and sophisticated studio pop. “Tokai” has become one of Ohnuki’s signature recordings: Ryuichi Sakamoto’s arrangement places her calm, almost weightless vocal against a rhythmically active backdrop, creating a tension between urban detachment and musical movement. “Kusuri wo Takusan” is sharper and more eccentric, using funk-inflected rhythm and an unusually satirical lyric perspective to reveal a more playful side of Ohnuki’s writing. The original SUNSHOWER sessions brought together musicians including Sakamoto and American drummer Chris Parker, and that crossover-level musicianship is audible in both tracks. Their pairing is especially effective because they show two sides of the same album: “Tokai” is elegant and emotionally distant, while “Kusuri wo Takusan” is restless and sly. Together they explain why SUNSHOWER became such an important reference point for listeners tracing the roots of city pop back into Japan’s 1970s crossover scene.