Many times in reviews, a writer feels as though he or she has been given the same repetitive task. Review this album and try to be as precise as possible. Keep all elements in mind: originality, execution, musicianship, history, etc. Once the review has been written, the album is either placed on a shelf to disappear permanently or it will find a place in the stack of favorites. Some writers will also agree that when you compare these stacks of albums, the ones that tend to lack the above qualities always outweigh those that do. The female quartet, OOIOO (pronounced oh-oh-eye-oh-oh), have me staring at my stacks in a decisive battle for where it will land. Therein lies one of the main disappointments of OOIOO's latest offering, Kila Kila Kila.
OOIOO have made their rounds over the years by releasing all their albums on different labels. Kila Kila Kila is receiving a new release on the Thrill Jockey label for the US in 2004. While the album may be a year old already (it was released in Japan last year), OOIOO continues with their multicolored and fragmented sounds in the same fashion as we've previously heard. Fronted by Boredoms' drummer/pink robot battler, Yoshimi and crew create colorful images of psychedelic pop similar to the way Pollock dripped his paintings onto canvas: in organized disarray. However, too many times it falls short of being palatable for my jaded ears.
Kila Kila Kila contains numerous pristine sounds and rich textures that show subtle moments of ingenuity and progression. The second half of "Sizuku Ring Neng," for example, is a magnificent psychedelic jam session that seems to take control of its own reigns. It stands alone as one of the only moments where all the desired qualities seamlessly come together. It continues down the right path with the preceding song, "On Mani." Elegant violin strums are gently laid over dense bass lines and swift drumming. The 15-minute "Aster" is another strong moment for the album. The easiest way to describe it would be that it's basically three songs jammed into one. With its length, ability to gently ramble, and most importantly, great musicianship, it becomes the highlight of Kila Kila Kila -- particularly the last two minutes as it slowly drifts to silence. For a moment, this actually turns out to be a very good album. One could argue that "Northern Light," or even "Anuenue Au," should belong on the pile of good songs here, but as I said before, they just seem to lack the ability to connect with the listener.
However, things aren't totally down for OOIOO and their latest work. Even though there seems to be a connection issue for me, I'd say a good half of the album is very nicely done. On the other hand, the other half seems to focus too much on effect over function. Some songs last for well over ten minutes and can go off on several different tangents in the process. These tangents start the album off in an unneeded way, but actually become a little more fluid during the second half of the album. I'd go so far as to say this album will be warmly received by OOIOO's fans. It does a nice job of bringing to mind their previous recordings, with a fresher and decidedly cleaner end result.
1. Kila Kila Kila
2. Ene Soda
3. Sizuku Ring Neng
4. On Mani
5. Northern Light
6. Niko Niko Niko
7. Aster
8. Anuenue Au
More about: OOIOO
