“Ghosts” by Japan
From the 1981 album Tin Drum

This is a bit of a rarity for me here: Japan is not really a band I’ve listened to at all; in fact, watching this video may have been the first time I had ever heard one of their songs in its entirety. However, I am well aware of the band for two significant reasons: singer David Sylvian collaborated with Robert Fripp on 1993’s excellent The First Day, which I’ve highlighted here before, and keyboardist Richard Barbieri has for over a decade been a member of what is probably my favorite band, Porcupine Tree. It’s cool to see Sylvian doing his best to look like a member of Duran Duran (though of course, in fact it is the other way around), and it’s amazing to see Richard Barbieri so young.

This eerie, experimental track is from Tin Drum, which my research suggests is Japan’s most highly regarded album. It seems to be something of an acquired taste, and it’s not the kind of music I would typically listen to while working, driving, or really doing anything besides devoting my full attention to the music itself. But it is definitely intriguing, and makes me want to hear more.