TAIGA

Starting out like caffeinated cheerleaders with a tribal drum circle it's obvious from the getgo that the all-female ensemble of OOIOO is a unique musical force and has peaked my full attention throughout the entirety of the album. Although labelled as experimental and to be fair, it is that, this isn't the kind of experimental music that leaves you wondering what drugs they were ingesting to come up with ideas that exist in their own universe. Not at all. This is highly accessible while simultaneously taking you on a sonic sidetrip that I for one have not had the pleasure of travelling before hearing this.

This album has eight tracks that are all only three letters long. It has many different musical elements but it's not hard to strip away the veneer to see what's lurking beneath the surface. These girls have truly mastered a complete fusion of noise rock with tribal drumming with a kind of traditional Japanese like guitar riffing surrounded by electronic effects. The vocals always make me think of Japan as there is a very traditional feel to it as well as experimental. This isn't avant-garde to the point where it seems like it was composed on other worlds.

There is a sensual female aggressiveness to the whole thing. Kinda like the Go-Gos joined Melt Banana and invited a tribal drumming circle to jam. Every song is different and the album flows to the end without a shred of boredom, well except for Yoshimi P-We who is also in The Boredoms. She alone contributes the guitar, vocals, djembe, bongo, synthesizer, piano, Jew's harp and talking drum.

This music is unique, intense and amazingly diverse. If you want a new musical trip that really falls outside the boundaries of any musical genres that doesn't leave you scratching your head in dismay because it is absolutely so outside of your musical reality then this is will surely grab your attention and sustain it throughout multiple listens as it has with me. Accessible and avant-garde. Bold and beautiful. Cute, cuddly and crazy.