DESIRE

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Released in 1985, DESIRE is Yumi Murata’s sixth album and one of the clearest examples of the Mariah-related studio network pushing Japanese pop toward new wave, progressive funk, and more abrasive electronic textures. Masanori Sasaji produced and arranged the record, supported by musicians including Jun Aoyama on drums, Yasuo Tomikura on bass, and Takayuki Hijikata on guitar. Compared with conventional mid-eighties city pop, DESIRE feels deliberately unstable. “Face to Face,” later revisited by Studio Mule with Miyako Koda of dip in the pool, moves toward new-wave ambient space, while “Emptiness and Woman,” composed by Masatoshi Nishimura, uses a sharper funk framework. Elsewhere, the lyrics and arrangements become more confrontational and avant-garde than on Murata’s earlier material. Her technical vocal control is crucial because it prevents the album’s dense production from overwhelming the songs; she can move through angular rhythm, synth color, and sudden changes in atmosphere without losing melodic focus. DESIRE is best understood not as a typical boogie record but as a late-stage experiment in how far sophisticated Japanese studio pop could be pushed toward progressive and new-wave territory.