View source for Async (album)

{{other uses|Asynchrony (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox album
| italic_title = no
| name       = async
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]
| cover      = Asyncryuichisakamoto.jpeg
| border     = yes
| alt        =
| released   = March 29, 2017
| recorded   = April–December 2016
| venue      =
| studio     = The Studio; [[New York City]]<br>[[Bastyr University]] Chapel; [[Kenmore, Washington|Kenmore]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]<br>Germano Studios; New York City<br>[[Kyoto City University of Arts]]; Kyoto<br>[[Museum of Arts and Design]]; New York City<br>Gateway Mastering; [[Portland, Maine|Portland]], [[Maine]]
| genre      = {{flatlist|
*[[Electronic music|Electronic]]<ref>Muggs, Joe (February 8, 2018). [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/feb/08/electronic-composer-ryuichi-sakamoto-my-great-regret-david-bowie "Electronic pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto: 'My great regret is not reconnecting with Bowie'"]. ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref><ref name = "ResidA"/>
*[[Experimental music|experimental]]<ref name = "Betaint"/><ref name = "Pitchfork"/><ref name = "ResidA"/>
*[[ambient music|ambient]]<ref>Miki, Kunihiro (December 29, 2017). [https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/music/interview-ryuichi-sakamoto "Interview: Ryuichi Sakamoto"]. ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out Tokyo]]''. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref><ref name = "Pitchfork"/><ref name = "ResidA"/>
}}
| length     = 60:31
| label      = {{flatlist|
*[[Commmons]]
*[[Milan Records|Milan]]
}}
| producer   = {{flatlist|
*[[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]
*Mai Yuda
}}
| prev_title = Year Book 1980-1984
| prev_year  = 2017
| next_title = [[ASYNC – REMODELS]]
| next_year  = 2017
}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''async'' (album)}}
'''''async''''' is the nineteenth solo [[studio album]] of Japanese musician [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] and his first one in eight years since ''Out of Noise'' (2009). It is also his first full-length solo record since recovering from [[throat cancer]] in 2015. Consisting of a combination of unusual interpretations of familiar musical instruments,  textures both acoustic and electronically made, samples of recordings of people such as [[David Sylvian]] and [[Paul Bowles]] doing readings, and everyday sounds borrowed from [[field recordings]] of city streets, ''async'' has underlying themes of the worries of the end of life and the interaction of differing viewpoints in humanity.

Promoted with two art museum installations, a short film contest, and premiering via a listening event at [[Big Ears Festival]], ''async'' was first released in Japan by Sakamoto's label [[Commmons]] in March 2017 before [[Milan Records|Milan]] distributed it to other nations in April 2017. It was critically acclaimed, landed in the top twenty of the [[Billboard Japan|Japanese albums chart]] and in the top five of ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s American [[Top Classical Albums]] chart, and was ranked the best album of 2017 by ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]'' magazine. A [[remix album|set of remixes]] of songs from ''async'', titled ''[[ASYNC – REMODELS]]'', was released in December 2017.

==Background==
Since 2009, Ryuichi Sakamoto had an eight-year period<ref name = "Milan"/> where he was unable to inspire himself in his composition process.<ref name = "Fader2016"/> As a result, he focused most of his time on scoring films instead of producing solo material.<ref name = "Fader2016"/> He started sketching ideas for a solo album in 2014, but they were scrapped<ref name = "Criterion"/> after he was  diagnosed with [[throat cancer]] in 2014, after which he had to pause his career entirely.<ref name = "JapanTimes">Hadfield, James (April 26, 2017). [https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/04/26/music/cd-reviews/ryuichi-sakamoto-resists-prettier-path-async-comes-stronger/#.Wr-TMtPwY6g "Ryuichi Sakamoto resists the prettier path on ‘async’ and comes out stronger"]. ''[[The Japan Times]]''. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> Despite recovering from the disease in August 2015,<ref>[http://www.factmag.com/2015/08/03/ryuichi-sakamoto-returns-to-work-following-throat-cancer-treatment/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto returns to work following throat cancer treatment"]. ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]''. August 3, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> Sakamoto thought ''async'' would be his last album: "That’s why I tried to forget all the rules and forms, anything. I just wanted to put down just what I wanted to hear, just a sound or music, it doesn’t matter. This could be the last time."<ref name = "Betaint">Beta, Andy (June 12, 2017). [https://andybeta.com/2017/06/12/ryuichi-sakamoto-interview/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto interview"]. Andy Beta Official Website. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> He began making it entirely from scratch in April 2016,<ref name = "Criterion"/> which was after completing his soundtrack for the film ''[[Rage (2016 film)|Rage]]'' (2016),<ref name = "Fader2016">Saxelby, Ruth (July 20, 2016). [http://www.thefader.com/2016/07/20/ryuichi-sakamoto-nagasaki-memories-of-my-son-interview "Ryuichi Sakamoto Debuts “Raindrops” From His Score For ''Nagasaki: Memories Of My Son''"]. ''[[The Fader]]''. Retrieved March 30, 2018.</ref> and finished it in eight months.<ref name = "Fader2017"/> The only track made before Sakamoto's cancer diagnosis that appears on ''async'' is "andata."<ref name = "Betaint"/>

==Sounds and underlying themes==
Inspired by the minimal structures of the works of [[Claude Debussy]] and the [[free jazz]] stylings of [[John Coltrane]],<ref name = "Thump">Przybyslawski, Corinne (April 28, 2017). [https://www.vice.com/en/article/ryuichi-sakamoto-async-interview/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto Survived Cancer and an Earthquake to Make His Most Personal Album to Date"]. ''[[Thump (Vice)|Thump]]''. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> ''async'', as [[Milan Records]] summarized, is a set of representations of Sakamoto's thinking that "plays with ideas of a-synchronism, [[prime numbers]], [[chaos theory|chaos]], [[quantum physics]] and the blurred lines of life and artificiality/noise and music."<ref name = "Milan">[https://milanrecords.com/milan-albums/ryuichi-sakamoto-async/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto – async"]. [[Milan Records]] Official Website. Retrieved March 30, 2018.</ref> Sakamoto conceived the album as the soundtrack for a nonexistent movie by [[Andrei Tarkovsky]],<ref name = "Milan"/> whose works mostly deal with mortality (see the Worries of death subsection of this article)<ref name = "Quietus">Smith, Karl (April 27, 2017). [http://thequietus.com/articles/22297-ryuichi-sakamoto-async-album-review-tarkovsky-mortality-soundtracks "Karl Smith On Ryuichi Sakamoto's async"]. ''[[The Quietus]]''. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> and employed walking scenes with the type of [[Foley (filmmaking)|Foley]] featured on ''async''.<ref name = "Criterion"/>

When making ''async'', "I just wanted to hear sounds of things, everyday things, even the sounds of instruments, musical instruments as things," Sakamoto said.<ref name = "Betaint"/> Sakamoto cited the works of [[sound art]] sculptor [[Harry Bertoia]] as a major influence when making the album.<ref name = "ResidAFeature"/> The instrumentation includes both regular orchestral instruments and unusual acoustic and programmed textures,<ref name = "Milan"/> more specifically bizarre interpretations of otherwise familiar instruments and the "musical aspect[s]" of everyday noise.<ref name = "Fader2017"/> ''async'' employs a variety of sound-producing techniques, such as [[field recordings]], making mist textures out of chorales, and wailing sounds from glass.<ref name = "JapanTimes"/><ref name = "Criterion">Weston, Hillary (June 1, 2017). [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4625-sonic-memories-a-conversation-with-ryuichi-sakamoto "Sonic Memories: A Conversation with Ryuichi Sakamoto"]. [[The Criterion Collection]]. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> Some of the tracks include out-of-tune pianos; he recorded two [[Steinway]] pianos he had in his home studio,<ref name = "Betaint"/> and a piano that was drowned in tsunami water was used on the track "Zure."<ref>Yeung, Vivian (March 28, 2018). [https://crackmagazine.net/2018/03/the-piano-used-on-ryuichi-sakamotos-async-gets-its-own-documentary-release/ "The piano used on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ''async'' gets its own documentary release"]. ''[[Crack Magazine]]''. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> He thought it was "nature" that was responsible for the notes the broken pianos played: "the piano is a very systematically, industrially-designed thing, but they were a part of nature, taken from nature. Mankind artificially tuned and set the well-tempered scale, but the thing is if you leave the piano for a long time without a tuning, it will be out of tune."<ref name = "Betaint"/>

"Tri" is an unedited recording of [[Triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]]s performed by three musicians:<ref name = "Fader2017">Saxelby, Ruth (May 5, 2017). [http://www.thefader.com/2017/05/05/ryuichi-sakamoto-async-interview "Ryuichi Sakamoto Is Listening Closer Than Ever"]. ''The Fader''. Retrieved March 30, 2018.</ref> Ian Antonio, Levy Lorenzo, and Ross Karre.<ref name = "Vinylcredits"/> In a 2017 conversation with Sakamoto, Ruth Saxelby assumed the triangle sounds that were in the later part of the track were digitally programmed.<ref name = "Fader2017"/> However, Sakamoto corrected Saxelby by saying "Tri" went through more than ten takes because the three musicians were "perfectionists" and thus wanted the triangles to sound machine-like.<ref name = "Fader2017"/>

===Asynchronization and human duality===
As Sakamoto described the album's main idea, Sakamoto said it was [[human nature]] most people "find pleasure in being in sync. That's why I wanted to create untraditional music that doesn't synchronize[, because it's like] speaking in a language that doesn't exist."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjiyndquZ2I "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Music for a Divided World"] (4:21–4:59). ''[[Close-up Gendai Plus]]''. April 22, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.</ref> He wanted to make a record like this for a long time, but it was difficult to do because he "wanted to make something async but still musical."<ref name = "Betaint"/>

According to Sakamoto, his musical interests were moving towards "sound and music" rather than just "music" while producing the album, and thus he incorporated field recordings to capture "lots of strange sounds."<ref name = "Fader2016"/> Sakamoto did the field recordings by walking through streets in [[New York City]], [[Tokyo]], [[Kyoto]], and [[Paris]] with a cell phone microphone in his hand,<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (5:17–5:30).</ref><ref name = "Criterion"/> activity that made up for four months of the album's production.<ref name = "Criterion"/> The sounds he captured were those all people unavoidably encounter in everyday life, such as street noise, animal sounds, leaves, water, and rain.<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (5:12–6:25).</ref><ref name = "Criterion"/> Composing the score for ''[[The Revenant (2015 film)|The Revenant]]'' (2015), a film very heavy on themes about nature in both its story and music, influenced how Sakamoto produced ''async''.<ref name = "ResidAFeature">Coultate, Aaron (May 3, 2017). [https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/2983 "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Everyday objects"]. ''Resident Advisor''. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref> For "Walker," Sakamoto spent around ten to fifteen minutes recording his footsteps while walking in a forest filled with leaves, which makes up most of the track.<ref name = "ResidAFeature"/> It was a forest that surrounded [[Philip Johnson]]'s [[Glass House]], which Sakamoto later used to record the improvisational piece "[[Glass (composition)|Glass]]" with [[Alva Noto]].<ref>Beta, Andy (February 16, 2018). [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/alva-noto-ryuichi-sakamoto-glass/ "Alva Noto / Ryuichi Sakamoto: ''Glass'' Album Review"]. ''Pitchfork''. Retrieved April 5, 2018.</ref>

On ''async'', all of its sounds come together but never create a proper harmony.<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (5:43–5:54).</ref> However, Sakamoto described these sounds as "significant in their own way<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (6:11–6:13).</ref> because their "existence has meaning."<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (6:22–6:25).</ref> He explained, "As human beings, we [...] take the liberty to decide which sound is good or bad. [...] I'm suggesting we open our ears and listen to each sound without prejudice."<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (6:27–6:41).</ref> Sakamoto did this to symbolize as well as commentate on how the differing viewpoints of humanity worked:<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (23:55–24:01).</ref> "In this world of myriad viewpoints and unlimited information, every single person is choosing only the information that he or she is interested in, and people with similar interests gather and form a group. Then, groups with similar interests exchange views with one another, accelerating the movement to narrow the conversation down to ever-more specific views bound by a particular concern. And so, groups with different interests barely communicate with each other, or even if they do, they tend to dismiss the views of the other."<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (12:52–13:40).</ref> The message of ''async'' is that, like dissonant sounds coming together to create music, humans of all different viewpoints should come together and respect each other.<ref>''Close-up Gendai Plus'' (24:01–24:09).</ref>

This theme of ''async'' was compared by writer Karl Smith to the works of [[Shane Carruth]], whose films also deal with chaos in human nature.<ref name = "Quietus"/> He used "Zure"'s mixture of "intangible synthetic panes with the more earthly, percussive tones of the piano" and "Walker"'s combination of noises with a "[[call and response]] [of] gentle swells and vibrations" as examples of the record's use of juxtapositions, which present "the idea that any one thing is more than just that one thing."<ref name = "Quietus"/> While a majority of ''async'' consists of subdued pieces, the album also contains more dissonant tracks like "Tri,"<ref name = "Paste"/> "disintegration," which places awkwardly-tuned piano plucks aside warm synthesizer pads,<ref name = "Paste"/> and the title track, which includes harshly plucked pizzicato strings.<ref name = "Avclub"/> This is to symbolize a "never ending pendulum swing between solace and chaos," ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' magazine stated.<ref name = "Paste"/>

===Worries of death===
Some critics noted Sakamoto's worries about death seeping into the album,<ref name = "NYTimes"/><ref name = "Fader2017"/> which were influenced not only by his experience with cancer but also the many earthquakes and tsunamis that occurred in Japan in 2011.<ref name = "Thump"/> He said in an interview, "We were warned about how our civilization is fragile and how the force of nature is great."<ref name = "Thump"/> [[David Sylvian]], who reads a poem by [[Arseny Tarkovsky]] on the song "Life, Life"<ref name = "JapanTimes"/> over pizzicato strings, synthesizers, and a [[Shō (instrument)|shō]],<ref name = "Quietus"/> said ''async'' "expresses a love and gratitude for life accompanied by the knowledge of its fragility."<ref name = "NYTimes"/> On "Life, Life," Sylvian reads, "To one side from ourselves, to one side from the world / Wave follows wave to break on the shore, / On each wave is a star, a person, a bird, / Dreams, reality, death - on wave after wave."<ref name = "Quietus"/> The recording was done in 2011 and was one of ten poem readings Sylvian submitted to Sakamoto for a charity concert supporting victims of the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]].<ref name = "Betaint"/>

"Fullmoon" begins with a quote from [[Paul Bowles]] reading his novel ''[[The Sheltering Sky]]'' (1949) over a [[sine wave]]:<ref name = "Vinylcredits"/><ref name = "LotusLand">Beaudoin, Sean (June 18, 2017). [http://www.lotuslandmag.com/2017/06/18/life-life-async-legacy-ryuichi-sakamoto/ "Life, Life: async and the Legacy of Ryuichi Sakamoto"]. ''Lotus Land''. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> "We get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really."<ref name = "NYTimes">Beta, Andy (April 21, 2017). [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/arts/music/ryuichi-sakamoto-async-interview.html "With Cancer in the Past, Ryuichi Sakamoto Returns to His Calling"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved March 30, 2018.</ref> He also says on the song, "Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps 20. And yet it all seems limitless."<ref name = "JapanTimes"/> The later part of the song depicts Bowles' quote being spoken in other languages by Sakamoto's friends<ref name = "Fader2017"/> over an instrumental of piano and synthesizers.<ref name = "JapanTimes"/>

The recording of Bowles saying the quote also appears in the end of the [[The Sheltering Sky (film)|1990 film adaptation of the book]], which Sakamoto composed the score for.<ref name = "Fader2017"/> Sakamoto explained the sample "struck me so much" when he first listened to it, reasoning that it was "so heavy and serious about life and death, and that excerpt [plays in the film] right after the husband dies in the middle of the [[Sahara]], in the middle of nowhere."<ref name = "Fader2017"/> He used the recording for Bowles' voice, as it "sounds something very profound to me: it's not too dark, it's very light; it doesn't sound too serious."<ref name = "Fader2017"/> [[Bernardo Bertolucci]], who wrote and directed the film adaptation, speaks the Italian version of the quote on the track.<ref name = "Betaint"/>

==Release==
''async'' premiered via a listening event at [[Big Ears Festival]] that ran from  March 23 to 26, 2017, where the album was presented in [[5.1 surround sound]].<ref>Yoo, Noah (March 15, 2017). [https://pitchfork.com/news/71081-ryuichi-sakamoto-announces-new-album-async/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto Announces New Album ''async''"]. ''Pitchfork''. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref> [[Commmons]] first released ''async'' in Japan on [[Compact disc|CD]] and in [[music download|digital stores]] on March 29, 2017.<ref name = "Commmons"/><ref name = "iTuneStoresJP">[https://music.apple.com/jp/album/async/1216079429 "坂本龍一「async」"] (in Japanese). [[iTunes Store]] Japan. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref> The vinyl version of the album was also initially planned to come out in the country the same day, but due to sound quality issues was postponed to May 17.<ref name = "Commmons">[http://www.skmtcommmons.com/disc/ "坂本龍一 8年ぶりのオリジナルアルバム発売配信(ハイレゾ含む)も同日スタート！！"] (in Japanese). [[Commmons]] Official Website. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref> ''[[Thump (Vice)|Thump]]'' premiered ''async'' worldwide via [[audio streaming|streaming]] on April 24, 2017, before [[Milan Records]] issued it to other formats on April 28, 2017.<ref name = "Thumpstream">Przybyslawski, Corinne (April 24, 2017). [https://www.vice.com/en/article/ryuichi-sakamoto-async-album-stream/ "Stream Japanese Electronic Pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto's First Album in Eight Years"]. ''Thump''. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref>

==Promotion==
From April 4 to May 28, 2017,<ref>[http://www.watarium.co.jp/exhibition/1704sakamoto/index.html "Ryuichi Sakamoto <nowiki>|</nowiki> async"] (in Japanese). [[Watari Museum of Contemporary Art]] Official Website. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref> the [[Watari Museum of Contemporary Art]] ran an exhibition titled ''async'', which consists of visuals by artists [[Shiro Takatani]] (who was also responsible for the cover art of the album), [[Apichatpong Weerasethakul]], Neo Sora and Albert "Zakkubalan" Tholen performed over cuts from the album.<ref name = "Exhibition">L. Tran, John (May 2, 2017). [https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/05/02/arts/ryuichi-sakamoto-provides-soundtrack-life-async-exhibition/#.WsDn7tPwY6h "Ryuichi Sakamoto provides a soundtrack to life at ‘async’ exhibition"]. ''The Japan Times''. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref> The exhibition's moving visuals consisted of distorted footage of a crowd of people and Sakamoto's home and studio.<ref name = "Exhibition"/> A follow-up to the installation, titled ''IS YOUR TIME'', ran from December 9, 2017, to March 11, 2018, at [[NTT InterCommunication Center]], and also featured music from ''async'' and visuals by Takatani.<ref>[http://www.ntticc.or.jp/en/exhibitions/2017/sakamoto-ryuichi-with-takatani-shiro-installation-music-2-is-your-time/ "SAKAMOTO Ryuichi with TAKATANI Shiro <nowiki>|</nowiki> Installation Music 2 IS YOUR TIME"]. [[NTT InterCommunication Center]] Official Website. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref>

The first live performance of ''async'' in the United States was held in the Veterans Room at the [[Seventh Regiment Armory]] on the [[Upper East Side]] of [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]] on April 26, 2017.<ref>Awad, Gamall (April 28, 2017). [http://www.self-titledmag.com/2017/04/28/live-review-ryuichi-sakamoto-park-avenue-armory/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto Performs New ''async'' Album At New York’s Park Avenue Armory"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402043751/http://www.self-titledmag.com/2017/04/28/live-review-ryuichi-sakamoto-park-avenue-armory/ |date=2018-04-02 }}. ''self-titled''. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref><ref>Dalton, Stephen (February 22, 2018). [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/ryuichi-sakamoto-async-live-at-park-avenue-armory-review-1087336 "'Ryuichi Sakamoto: async Live at the Park Avenue Armory': Film Review | Berlin 2018"]. ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref> A [[concert film]] of the performance titled ''Ryuichi Sakamoto PERFORMANCE IN NEW YORK: async'' premiered in Japanese theaters on January 27, 2018.<ref>[https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/international/8022263/preview-ryuichi-sakamoto-live-new-york-concert-film-async-watch "Preview Ryuichi Sakamoto's Intimate Live New York Concert Film, 'async'"]. ''[[Billboard Japan]]''. November 1, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.</ref> From August 4 until September 30, 2017, submissions were open for a contest ran by Sakamoto and Weerasethakul titled the async Short Film Competition, where filmmakers had to produce a film using music from ''async''.<ref>Fusco, Joe (August 4, 2017). [https://nofilmschool.com/2017/08/ryuichi-sakamoto-launches-new-short-film-competition "Ryuichi Sakamoto Wants to Score Your Short Film and Give You $5K"]. ''No Film School''. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref> From the approximately 800 entries that were submitted, ''In a Happy Place'' by [[Sikkim]]-based filmmaker Sandup Lepcha won the contest, receiving $3,000 and an opportunity to have Sakamoto compose for his next film.<ref>Ravidas, Rajeev (December 20, 2017). [https://web.archive.org/web/20180402163119/https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/youth-wins-revenant-composer-prize-194842 "Youth wins ''Revenant'' composer prize"]. ''[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]]''. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref>

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
|ADM=8.1/10<ref name = "ADM">{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/8649/Ryuichi-Sakamoto-async.aspx|title=async by Ryuichi Sakamoto reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|MC=85/100<ref name = "Metacritic">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/async/ryuichi-sakamoto|title=Reviews and Tracks for async by Ryuichi Sakamoto|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|rev1=[[AllMusic]]
|rev1Score={{rating|4|5}}<ref name = "Allmusic">{{cite web|last=Simpson|first=Paul|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/async-mw0003033135|title=async – Ryuichi Sakamoto|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|rev2=''[[The A.V. Club]]''
|rev2Score=B<ref name = "Avclub">{{cite web|last=O'Neal|first=Sean|url=https://www.avclub.com/thurston-moore-colin-stetson-juliana-hatfield-and-mo-1798288179|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto returns with mortality on his mind in the quietly affecting Async|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=April 28, 2017|access-date=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|rev3=''[[Exclaim!]]''
|rev3Score=9/10<ref name = "Exclaim">{{cite web|last=Press|first=Kevin|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/ryuichi_sakamoto-async|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: async|work=[[Exclaim!]]|date=April 26, 2017|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|rev4=''[[Mixmag]]''
|rev4Score=10/10<ref name = "Mixmag">{{cite web|url=http://mixmag.net/feature/may-2017-18-albums-you-need-to-hear-this-month/16|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto 'async' (Milan)|work=[[Mixmag]]|date=May 8, 2017|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|rev5=''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
|rev5Score={{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|last=Male|first=Andrew|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: async|journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|issue=283|date=June 2017|page=86}}</ref>
|rev6=''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''
|rev6Score=8.7/10<ref name = "Paste">{{cite web|last=Ham|first=Robert|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/05/ryuichi-sakamoto-async-review.html|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: async Review|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=May 9, 2017|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|rev7=''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
|rev7Score=8.0/10<ref name = "Pitchfork">{{cite web|last=Beta|first=Andy|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23118-async/|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: async|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=May 1, 2017|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|rev8=''[[PopMatters]]''
|rev8Score=8/10<ref name = "Popmatters">{{cite web|last=Ingalls|first=Chris|url=https://www.popmatters.com/ryuichi-sakamoto-async-2495393803.html|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto: async|work=[[PopMatters]]|date=April 28, 2017|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
|rev9=''[[Record Collector]]''
|rev9Score={{rating|4|5}}<ref name = "RecordCol">{{cite journal|last=Bowler|first=Paul|url=http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/async|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto – async|journal=[[Record Collector]]|issue=467|date=June 2017|accessdate=April 1, 2018}}</ref>
|rev10=''[[Resident Advisor]]''
|rev10Score=4.0/5<ref name = "ResidA">{{cite web|last=Ryce|first=Andrew|url=https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/20955|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto – async|work=[[Resident Advisor]]|date=April 26, 2017|accessdate=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
}}
''async'' garnered very positive reviews from [[music journalist|writers]] upon its release.<ref name = "Metacritic"/><ref name = "ADM"/> ''[[Mixmag]]'' gave ''async'' a ten-out-of-ten review, describing it as "full of church organs, hazy reverb, rippling synths and poetry about mortality and eternity, as well as Sakamoto’s distinctive piano, sonar bleeps and unforgettable melodies. It’s arguably the most beautiful record you’ll hear this year."<ref name = "Mixmag"/> ''Lotus Land'' praised ''async'' as "yet another entry in his oeuvre which simultaneously feels unique from his other releases and yet inescapably Sakamoto in its depth and emotion."<ref name = "LotusLand"/> Kevin Press of ''[[Exclaim!]]'' called it "challenging and moving," highlighting its "unique ability to create genuine beauty with a varied — at times abrasive — palette" and the fact that Sakamoto "remains a radical after all these years."<ref name = "Exclaim"/> As Paul Bowler summarized ''async'', "Understandably ruminative in nature, it’s a renewed sense of creative vigour which provides the driving force on a piece of work which stands among the composer’s best."<ref name = "RecordCol"/>

Avant-garde music magazine ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]'' claimed, "its coherence of tonality and timbre gives it the feel of an imaginary soundtrack and yet each track has its own internal logic and direction which means that it never sounds like a grab-bag of musical supervisor’s cues but like a proper album of songs."<ref name = "Metacritic"/> Journalist Andy Beta analyzed the album has a "warmth and fragility" that sets it apart from most [[experimental music|experimental]] records.<ref name = "Pitchfork"/> Andrew Ryce praised it for feeling "universal," where "anyone can pick up the objects around them and make music, and Sakamoto shows how engaging even the simplest exercises in sound can be."<ref name = "ResidA"/> ''[[The A.V. Club]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Sean O'Neal wrote that when hearing all the songs in order, they "creat[e] a transcendent introspective mood that allows the listener to hear their own story within them," but when the songs are heard separately, they "can be a bit boring."<ref name = "Avclub"/>

Some critics spotlighted the use of elements of Sakamoto's previous works,<ref name = "Pitchfork"/><ref name = "ResidA"/> Ryce calling them the best parts of ''async''.<ref name = "ResidA"/> ''Spectrum Culture'' compared it to the composer's earlier albums in that "it sacrifices coherency and consistency in getting as many of its creator’s ideas on wax as possible. Some of the ideas here are great, some are bad, most are interesting."<ref name = "SpectrumCulture">Bromfield, Daniel (May 15, 2017). [http://spectrumculture.com/2017/05/15/ryuichi-sakamoto-async/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto: async"]. ''Spectrum Culture''. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref> The spoken word pieces garnered mixed opinions.<ref name = "Pitchfork"/><ref name = "Avclub"/><ref name = "Quietus"/><ref name = "JapanTimes"/><ref name = "Paste"/><ref name = "Popmatters"/> Some found them to be the album's weakest tracks,<ref name = "Avclub"/><ref name = "Quietus"/><ref name = "JapanTimes"/><ref name = "Paste"/> finding them showy ways of presenting themes the album's other tracks did more effectively,<ref name = "Paste"/><ref name = "Avclub"/><ref name = "Quietus"/> James Hadfield of ''[[The Japan Times]]'' opined "the vocals sit uncomfortably in the mix."<ref name = "JapanTimes"/> However, Beta called them "striking inclusion[s],"<ref name = "Pitchfork"/> ''[[PopMatters]]'' critic Chris Ingalls felt they added "more layers of sonic curiosities,"<ref name = "Popmatters"/> and Bowler described them as the album's "most oddly affecting" moments.<ref name = "RecordCol"/>

==Accolades==
{|class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Publication
! Accolade
! Rank
! class="unsortable"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
!scope="row"|[[AllMusic]]
|Best of 2017: Favorite Electronic Albums
| {{N/A}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/year-in-review/2017/favorite-electronic "Favorite Electronic Albums"]. [[AllMusic]] Best of 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2|''[[Exclaim!]]''
|Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far
| {{center|29}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://exclaim.ca/music/article/exclaim_s_top_29_albums_of_2017_so_far "Exclaim!'s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far"]. ''Exclaim!''. June 19, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
|Best of 2017: Top 10 Improv and Avant-Garde Albums
| {{N/A}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://exclaim.ca/music/article/exclaim_s_top_10_improv_and_avant-garde_albums-best_of_2017 "Exclaim!'s Top 10 Improv and Avant-Garde Albums Best of 2017"]. ''Exclaim!''. December 8, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]''
|The 50 Best Albums of 2017
| {{center|1}}
| {{center|<ref>[http://www.factmag.com/2017/12/20/best-albums-2017/ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017"]. ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]''. December 20, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
|The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2017
| {{center|4}}
| {{center|<ref>Geffen, Sasha (December 15, 2017). [https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-20-best-experimental-albums-of-2017/?page=2 "The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2017"]. ''Pitchfork''. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The Quietus]]'' and Norman Records
| Albums Of The Year 2017
| {{center|67}}
| {{center|<ref>[http://thequietus.com/articles/23660-albums-of-the-year-2017 "Quietus Albums Of The Year 2017, In Association With Norman Records"]. ''[[The Quietus]]''. December 23, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Rolling Stone]]''
|20 Best Avant Albums of 2017
| {{center|16}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/20-best-avant-albums-of-2017-w514243 "20 Best Avant Albums of 2017"]. ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. January 2, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
|The 50 Best Albums of 2017 So Far
| {{center|45}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://www.spin.com/featured/50-best-albums-of-2017-so-far-list/ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017 So Far"]. ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''. June 5, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row"| ''[[Time Out New York]]''
| 29 Best Albums of 2017
| {{center|20}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/best-albums-of-2017?package_page=97510 "29 Best Albums of 2017 You Need to Know"]. ''[[Time Out New York]]''. December 11, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2|[[The Vinyl Factory]]
| The 50 Best Albums of 2017
| {{center|10}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://thevinylfactory.com/features/best-albums-2017/ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017"]. [[The Vinyl Factory]]. December 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
| 20 Best Albums of 2017 So Far
| {{N/A}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://thevinylfactory.com/features/the-20-best-albums-of-2017-so-far/ "The 20 best albums of 2017 so far"]. The Vinyl Factory. June 30, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]''
|Best Releases of 2017
| {{center|13}}
| {{center|<ref>[https://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/407 "Issue 407"]. ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]''. Retrieved March 29, 2018.</ref>}}
|}

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
|headline=''async''{{nobold|&nbsp;– Standard version}}<ref name = "iTuneStoresJP"/>
|title1=andata
|length1=4:39
|title2=disintegration	
|length2=5:46
|title3=solari
|length3=3:52
|title4=ZURE	
|length4=5:11
|title5=walker	
|length5=4:20
|title6=stakra	
|length6=3:41
|title7=ubi	
|length7=4:03
|title8=fullmoon
|length8=5:13
|title9=async	
|length9=2:44
|title10=tri
|length10=3:28
|title11=Life, Life
|length11=4:23
|title12=honj
|length12=3:41
|title13=ff	
|length13=5:12
|title14=garden	
|length14=4:18
|total_length=60:31
}}
{{Track listing 
|collapsed=
|headline=''async''{{nobold|&nbsp;– Vinyl edition bonus track}}<ref name = "Vinylcredits">''async'' (2017). [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]. [[Milan Records]].  MLN1-36830.</ref>
|title15=Water State 2
|length15=7:14
|total_length=67:45
}}
;Sample credits<ref name = "Vinylcredits"/>
*"Fullmoon" features a sample of a recording by [[Recorded Picture Company]] of [[Paul Bowles]] reading ''[[The Sheltering Sky]]'' (1949).
*"Life, Life" features the poem "And this I dreamt, and this I dream" from [[Arseny Tarkovsky]]'s ''Life, Life'' (2010)

==Personnel==
Derived from the liner notes of ''async''.<ref name = "Vinylcredits"/>
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*Composed and produced by [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]
*Administration and assistant production by Mai Yuda
*Associate production by Norika Sora
*Production managed by Alec Fellman
*Assistant engineering by Jason Staniulis, Matthew Sim, and Alec Fellman
*Recorded by Alex Venguer, Ryan Kelly, and Seigen Ono
*Piano technician work by Kaz Tsujio
*Recorded and mixed by Conrad Hensel at Germano Studios in [[New York City]]
*Mastered by [[Bob Ludwig]] at Gateway Mastering in [[Portland, Maine|Portland]], [[Maine]]
*"Walker" and "Water State 2" recorded at the [[Museum of Arts and Design]] in New York City
*"Life, Life," "Honj," and "Water State 2" recorded at [[Kyoto City University of Arts]]
*Also recorded at The Studio in New York City and [[Bastyr University]] Chapel
*Guitar and computer on "Andata" by [[Christian Fennesz]]
*[[Singing bowls]] on "Fullmoon" by N.S.S.
*Spoken word vocals on "Fullmoon" performed by Andri Magnason, [[Bernardo Bertolucci]], [[Carsten Nicolai]], Christine Leboutte, [[José Lavat]], Keyko Nimsay,  Priscilla Leung Siu-wai, Sergei Mihailov, [[Shirin Neshat]], and Tang Kit Ming
*Words on "Fullmoon" by [[Paul Bowles]]
*Triangle on "Tri" by Ian Antonio, Levy Lorenzo, and Ross Karre
*[[Shō (instrument)|Shō]] on "Life, Life" and "Water State 2" by [[Ko Ishikawa]]
*Vocals on "Life, Life" by Luca
*Spoken word vocals on "Life, Life" by [[David Sylvian]]
*Words on "Life, Life" by [[Arseny Tarkovsky]]
*[[Shamisen]] on "Honj" by Honjoh Hidejiro
*"Garden" recorded by [[Northwest Sinfonia]]
*Concertmaster on "Garden" by Simon James
*Contractor on "Garden" by David Sabee
*Engineering on "Garden" by Conrad Hensel and John Winters
*[[Pro Tools]] engineering on "Garden" by Kory Kruckenberg
*Stage Management on "Garden" by Jon Schluckebier
*Artwork directed and photographed by [[Shiro Takatani]]
*Artwork produced by Yoko Takatani
{{div col end}}

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format(s)
!scope="col"|Label
|-
!scope="row"|Japan
|March 29, 2017
|{{flatlist|
*[[Compact disc|CD]]<ref name = "Commmons"/>
*[[Music download|digital download]]<ref name = "iTuneStoresJP"/>
}}
|[[Commmons]]
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2|Worldwide
|April 24, 2017<ref name = "Thumpstream"/>
|[[Audio streaming|Streaming]]
|[[Thump (Vice)|Thump]]
|-
|April 28, 2017<ref>Chamboredon, JC (January 25, 2017). [https://milanrecords.com/ryuichi-sakamoto-announcing-new-album/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto is announcing a new album!"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402101353/https://milanrecords.com/ryuichi-sakamoto-announcing-new-album/ |date=2018-04-02 }} Milan Records Official Website. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref>
|{{flatlist|
*[[Compact disc|CD]]
*[[Music download|digital download]]
*[[Gramophone record|vinyl]]
}}
|[[Milan Records|Milan]]
|-
!scope="row"|Japan
|May 2, 2017<ref name = "Commmons"/>
|[[Gramophone record|Vinyl]]
|[[Commmons]]
|}

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2017)
!scope="col"|Peak<br>position
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|69|artist=Ryuichi Sakamoto|album=Async|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 28, 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Wallonia|61|artist=Ryuichi Sakamoto|album=Async|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 28, 2018}}
|-
{{album chart|Italy|86|artist=Ryuichi Sakamoto|album=Async|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 28, 2018}}
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (''[[Billboard Japan]]'')<ref>[http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2017&month=04&day=10 "Billboard Japan Hot Albums"]. ''[[Billboard Japan]]''. April 10, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.</ref>
|align=center|20
|-
!scope="row"|UK [[Official Vinyl Albums Chart|Vinyl Albums]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>[http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/vinyl-albums-chart/20170915/9 "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40"]. [[Official Charts Company]]. September 15, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.</ref>
|align=center|37
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Top Classical Albums]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>[https://www.billboard.com/artist/ryuichi-sakamoto/chart-history/coa/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto Async Chart History"]. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Top Classical Albums]]. Retrieved March 28, 2018.</ref>
|align=center|5
|}

==Remix album==
On December 13, 2017, Commons released ''[[ASYNC – REMODELS]]'', a collection of remixes of tracks from ''async'' by musicians such as [[Oneohtrix Point Never]], [[Johann Johannsson]], and [[Arca (musician)|Arca]].<ref>[https://music.apple.com/jp/album/async-remodels/1319127526?l=en "ASYNC – REMODELS by Ryuichi Sakamoto"]. iTunes Store Japan. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref> The album landed at number 15 on ''Billboard''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s United States Classical Albums chart.<ref>[https://www.billboard.com/artist/ryuichi-sakamoto/chart-history/coa/ "Ryuichi Sakamoto Async Remodels Chart History"]. ''Billboard'' Top Classical Albums. Retrieved April 1, 2018.</ref>

== Legacy ==
A reinterpretation of async, "async - immersion 2023" was released on February 2, 2024. This project, a collaboration with [[Shiro Takatani]], was initially presented as a site-specific installation in the basement of the Kyoto Shimbun Building. The release aims to replicate the auditory experience of the 'async - immersion 2023' exhibit showcased at AMBIENT KYOTO.<ref>{{cite web |title=Exhibition - Ambient Kyoto 2023 |url=https://ambientkyoto.com/en/exhibition}}</ref> Designed to be experienced asynchronously, the project diverges from traditional synchronization of sound and image reflecting Sakamoto's in an immersive experience.<ref>{{cite web |title=Exhibition - Ambient Kyoto 2023 |url=https://ambientkyoto.com/en/exhibition}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Ryuichi Sakamoto}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2017 albums]]
[[Category:Ryuichi Sakamoto albums]]
[[Category:Ambient albums by Japanese artists]]
[[Category:Electronic albums by Japanese artists]]
[[Category:Experimental music albums by Japanese artists]]