Tara Jane O'Neil and Nikaido Kazumi | Tara Jane O'Neil and Nikaido Kazumi

K (2011)
By JIM MACNIE  |  June 29, 2011
3.0 3.0 Stars

tjo main

Working the ethereal side of the street is a risky business for musicians. If things get too wispy, the performance may seem slight. That, however, doesn't stop Tara Jane O'Neil and Nikaido Kazumi from keeping things on the dreamy end during this program of keenly sculpted abstractions. From whispered coos to plinked strings to fuzzed dissonance to thumping drums, the 13 tracks trickle along, offering a haphazard feel while simultaneously wooing with irrefutable design integrity. It's said that the Portland, Oregon-based O'Neil, with her math-rock past and freak-folk present, hurdled the language barrier by communicating with her Japanese partner using hand signals and sketched drawings. Sounds precious, but it certainly got the job done. O'Neil and Kazumi are in accord throughout, another reason their amorphous miniatures are so enchanting. There's something overtly twee about the novice vibe on the surface here — there are moments when the ladies sound like they're singing to themselves, not to an audience — but it ultimately reveals a valuable thesis: cleverly charted allusion can have just as much emotional clout as brash declaration. Prepare to spin a field recording from the inner sanctum. 

Related: Trans Am | What Day Is It Tonight? Trans Am Live, 1993 - 2008, Various Artists | Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010, Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Music, Tara Jane O'Neil, CD reviews,  More more >
| More


Most Popular
ARTICLES BY JIM MACNIE
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   HITTING THE HIGH NOTES  |  July 30, 2014
    You wanted more, you got more.
  •   NEW VOICES AND SUBLIME VETERANS  |  July 31, 2013
    The kickoff to the Newport Jazz Festival often brings us superb vocalists, and this year is no different.
  •   TEN BEST BETS AT THE NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL  |  August 01, 2012
    The Newport Jazz Festival has been on a roll these last few years, blending the commercial clout of big names with the creative cred of adventurous newcomers.
  •   20 DISCS YOU NEED  |  December 21, 2011
    Astoundingly intricate notions rendered with a glowing attack on this solo disc by the NYC pianist. Perhaps its real triumph is the array of approaches it brokers throughout the program — each distinct, yet related.
  •   THE BEACH BOYS | SMILE  |  November 02, 2011
    Never doubt the impact of whimsy as it applies to Brian Wilson's art. At the peak of his powers — 1965-'67, let's say — the Beach Boys boss was a sage arranger/composer and bona fide pop innovator.

 See all articles by: JIM MACNIE