Vagin chantant

[imomus]

I was in Avalanche, Edinburgh's best indie record store, and found a promo copy of "28" by Tujiko Noriko and Aoki Takamasa. Some poor journalist in Edinburgh on the Fat Cat label's mailing list was forced to sell his promos to buy food. When I got the record home and played it the first thing I noticed was its sparse arrangements, funky and ticky. Much more stripped-down than Tujiko Noriko's rather disappointing record with Aki Onda, "From Tokyo to Niagara". Of course, Aoki Takamasa used to be in Silicom, a sort of ticky-tocky techno outfit. (He and Tujiko Noriko are both 28 years old, and both live in Paris.) The second thing I noticed was that, despite the difference in arrangment style, it's very much a Tujiko Noriko record. In other words, it's slow and full of achingly emotional lyrics about relationships and sex — vagin chantant, as Toog puts it; "singing vagina music". And of course it sounds a bit like a Japanese Bjork. The next thing I noticed was that one of the songs is about lift girls, full of exaggeratedly polite and detached "going up!" lyrics. Then I noticed that there are some lovely slow strings behind some of the busy, funky, clicky percussion tracks. Then I noticed that I wanted to put this record on every time I came home, and that it always sounded good when I did. Then I noticed that Andy, whose flat on Dundas Street I'm staying in, is also on the Fat Cat mailing list and has a promo copy of the same bloody record lying next to his stereo. Grrrrrr, I could have ripped it! But this is one record worth buying.

(By the way, follow the Toog link — he's been in Sardinia quarrying marble for a statue!)

Comments

[shanghaiagogo.livejournal.com]

should check out noriko's newie " blurred in my mirror :)

[imomus.livejournal.com]

She's releasing all these different collaborations at the same time. Blurred in my Mirror (http://www.posteverything.com/artists/release.php?id=11022) seems to be with someone called Lawrence English, don't know who that is.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Okay, here's who Lawrence English is (http://cajid.com/pages/bio-le.html).

[(Anonymous)]

Not Lawrence from Felt, then..
Have you heard the new Go-Kart Mozart cd?

Antonio

in a rotterdam cell

[dandy-darvish.livejournal.com]

what's it like? I can't find anything information about.




erik
rotterdam

[(Anonymous)]

You should talk to Lawrence English about coming out to Australia. He's the curator of an infrequent series of concerts called 'fabrique', which have previously featured performers like dat politics, Aki Onda, Sachiko M, Otomo Yoshiide, Goodiepal and many others.

-sam

[inventingzero.livejournal.com]

fabrique is every month and has been for the last 3 years or so.... always on at www.brisbanepowerhouse.org a great venue just near the brisbane river.

he's also about to embark on a european tour next week...

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

i've been listening to "blurred in my mirror" as well. which in turn keeps leading me to listen to the "all about lily chou-chou" soundtrack. i like noriko though.

[nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com]

i'm your friend.

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

yes i suppose you are.

[silenceinspades.livejournal.com]

listening to toog is what got me to pick up one of your cds, as i believe they were released on the same label. it also got me to pick up an album by baxendale and then put it down very quickly.

[badspelling.livejournal.com]

I didn't think "From Tokyo to Niagara" was disappointing at all. If anything I'm disappointed with her recent stuff after that album. Haven't heard this yet though, just "Blurred in My Mirror".

[wintercamp.livejournal.com]

"disappointing"!

more TN

[(Anonymous)]

i didn't like the DACM album.
i havent heard "28" or "mirror" yet.
she also has a new album out produced by riow aria. witch i'm waiting for my copy.
it's called "RATN" - "J". on a new label from people from soup-disk and onsa records.
http://www.corde.co.jp/
28 is also on my list.

trevor.
http://mlshop.pliink.com
http://pandatone.com

[autokrater.livejournal.com]

i just downloaded a aiko takamasa album.."silicom 2"
it's very good..
i have never really gotten into tujiko noriko..perhaps because the only album i have heard of hers is the one you didn't really like either.
so now i must check this out..
gooood

[freddster.livejournal.com]

i downloaded "vinyl words" - really nice.

[(Anonymous)]

the TN/AT album features a nice artwork by Mehdi Hercberg, a.k.a. Minifer, a.k.a. shoboshoboss, by the way...

johann

[kitchen-life.livejournal.com]

i only ever heard one recording with aki onda that i thought was good, and it's the synapse record "raw" (tzadik). usually his lo-fi tape music is too fuzzy for me. i never paid much attention to noriko's solo works, but this one is indeed worth your while.

[(Anonymous)]

one thing you didn't notice (how come?!) is that it is my fellow mehdi hercberg of shoboshobo fame who did the drawing and artwork of the record)

howdy, nick

odot