One can’t ever be mad upon hearing a new track from the outstandingly experimental, all female Japanese group OOIOO, especially when said track kicks off with a frantic rush of gamelan bells and careens headlong into a celebratory, Deerhoof-esque, downright anthemic dual-guitar riff that dropkicks you in the face with FUN! The aforementioned song, “Jesso Testa,” makes one want to abandon their shoes, throw on a billowy white ceremonial gown decked out with colorful streamers, don a wreath of fragrant summer flowers, and go cartwheeling through a tree-lined field until dizzy, taking breaks only to drink mead, allow a graceful butterfly to perch upon one’s finger, and ultimately wind up in the company of a hundred others in a similar trance, compelled to join in a dizzying Bacchanal of the most innocent and friendly variety.
“Jesso Testa” is taken from OOIOO’s upcoming album Gamel, due out July 1 on Thrill Jockey (PRE-ORDER HERE!!!!). Although the whole album is inspired by Javanese gamelan, you can bet that each track will take a wildly different approach to that intense musical style which has captivated so many, in a way only OOIOO knows how. The fervent and divided reaction that this unique group’s music has typically inspired since their mid-90s inception should be enough at this point to finally stop obligatory comparisons to founder Yoshimi P-We’s other (legendary) outfit, Boredoms.
Lucky North American readers can catch OOIOO on a rare tour of the continent in July.
OOIOO North American Tour Dates:
Tue July 15th - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
Thu July 17th - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel
Fri July 18th - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade Brooklyn
Sat July 19th - Boston, MA - Cafe 939
Sun July 20th - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
Mon July 21st - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s
Tue July 22nd - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
Wed July 23rd - Detroit, MI - Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
• OOIOO: http://ooioo.jp
• Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com
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