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Concert Mon Mar 19 2007
Big River Singing Through a Bellowing Sky
Formed and largely led by former Boredoms and Free Kitten drummer Yoshimi P-We, OOIOO has always been a venture with no fixed musical address. But as evidenced by their recent LP Taiga, released some months ago via Thrill Jockey, they're still ever restless to strike out into more brambly terrain after a decade of experimentation. It's easily OOIOO's strongest effort to date, joyous and fierce and beautiful in its execution, one that yields unnoticed surprises upon repeated listenings. Although Taiga loosely contains much of the post-punk hodge-podgery of the group's prior efforts, it also finds them furrowing into heavily percussive, neo-tribalistic clatter, featuring plenty of pounding drums, marimbas and gamelan clanging. They switch quickly and broadly between styles throughout, occasionally breaking into zags of galloping West African funk. And through it all, Yoshimi and friends howl and hector in a mixture of cheerleading and monkeychanting, as if they're summoning or scattering the ghosts of the animistic realm. But occasionally they slow things down, grow contemplative, and settle into an interplay of elements that leaves plenty of space for the listener to crawl inside.
They're playing at the Empty Bottle this Wednesday evening. OOIOO don't hit these shores very often, so this will be a rare chance to catch them live. And in keeping with the tempo of the recent material, they're reportedly bringing an extra along drummer for the tour. Opening for the band is Lichens, the solo project of Robert Lowe, bassist for 90 Day Men and peripheral member of TV On The Radio. Under his Lichens moniker, Lowe specializes in compositions built from hauntingly atmospheric drones and loops, over which he improvises with guitar and wordless vocals. Granted, comparable waters have been charted by a number of "avant folk" artists in recent years, but Lowe's journeys always seem to begin where others' leave off. You couldn't ask for a more complimentary billing. 1035 N. Western. The show starts at 9:30 PM, admission is $12.
[video]: OOIOO - "UMO"
[video]: OOIOO - "Grow Sound Tree"