KWCW

If the ambiguously pronounced band name (OOIOO) was not clue enough, knowing that the all-Japanese, all-female quartet is headed by Yoshimi P-we of Boredoms fame should give you a hint that this record is not going to be predictable or like many other sounds around. “Taiga” is the fifth album by the experimental group, and is clearly OOIOO at its best. Sounds are complex, running the gamut from ambient, to distortion-filled noise, to thrashing Afro-percussive dance beats, to hauntingly childlike chanting, to what I can best describe as eerie gospel thrash. Within a given track, especially the longer ones, OOIOO may take you down a dozen different avenues, giving little warning and definitely not being deterred by creating something atonal and unexpected alike. On this album, as most of OOIOO’s work, the compositions center around the masterful drumming of Yoshimi P-we, who is able to changes tempos and moods on a dime, and alter the atmosphere of a piece in a split second. A note of warning: if you are not one who likes to try new things, steer clear of this album, since the sonic structures are constantly changing, throwing the listener through hoop after wonderful hoop. But if you are feeling a little adventurous, OOIOO will not dissapoint. The result is an album that is an amalgamation of anything and everything that they could find to make the noises they wanted, to explore the ideas they wanted to delve into.Though I’d listen to this almost anytime, I can’t think of any better soundtrack to a all-night, raucous bonfire, where everyone is covered in fluorescent body paint and yelling at the top of their lungs!

I give this album 4.5/5 shouts and a giddy, doting, kinda awkward, middle-school-madly-in-love smile.

RIYL: Animal Collective, Bjork, The Go! Team, Boredoms

- Alan Blickenstaff

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 29th, 2006 at 11:00 pm and is filed under Indie, Experimental. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.