Yoshinori Sunahara's Take Off and Landing is at times painstakingly boring. The album is not quite laid-back enough to make an enjoyable, relaxing listen, and so sits on an uneasy fence between two genres. Admittedly the album closes quite well, with the seemingly misplaced "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose" providing some refreshment from the usual layer upon layer of drum beats, synthesizers, and keyboards. "Welcome to Japan," the final track off Take Off and Landing, is none too bad either, although it drags somewhat during the final section. The album is not one that improves with repeated listens, and suffers from much the same problems as its successor (1999's Pan Am: The Sounds of the 70s), namely that most tracks are too repetitive and drawn out. ~ Ben Davies