Yellow Magic Orchestra burst upon the scene in the late '70s with a refreshing and original blend of pop music and electronic sounds that established a new pop template and influenced musicians all over the world. The band broke up in 1983 and, apart from 1993's one-off reunion album, "Technodon," its three members -- Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi -- hadn't worked together since.
So I was intrigued when I came upon "Audio Sponge," which was released Sept. 19 by Hosono and Takahashi under the name Sketch Show. Not only is the album in the pop-electronica fusion tradition pioneered by YMO, it even features Sakamoto on two tracks.
Like much of Hosono's recent work, "Audio Sponge" has a very sparse, minimalist feel. What's missing are the great hooks and melodies that characterized classic YMO. Even the collaborations with Sakamoto -- "Wonderful to Me" and "Supreme Secret" -- don't help raise the energy level much. It's a fine line between ambient and soporific.