Different cultures obviously tend to have different child-rearing practices, but I know that, in certain societies, a child’s lack of “linear progression” when learning a new skill would be met with with parental disappointment and possibly piano lessons in perpetuity! Yoshimi P-We a.k.a. YoshimiO has been known to take up different instruments as a notable member of the Japanese bands Boredoms and OOIOO, but what seems to be a consistent thread throughout much of her music is the kind of childlike and spirited aversion to straightforwardness that mirrors the premise of jazz, and which caresses the hearts of experimental music fans across the globe. Combine that preference for perceived erraticism with the intricate sitar work of Yoshida Daikiti, and you essentially have a recipe for an experimental (e.g. they’re basically lobbing meat and veggie chunks into a pot and hoping it all goes down coherently in the end!) but satisfying musical stew.
SAICOBAB is the name of the project that’s stirring the stew pot in this case, and its membership consists of the aforementioned Yoshimi and Daikiti, as well as Akita Goldman on bass and Motoyuki “Hama” Hamamoto on percussion. Their album SAB SE PURANI BAB, out October 20 on Thrill Jockey, sounds like a fortuitous dream of complicated sounds; and it’s also super important to acknowledge the influence of traditional Japanese and Indian culture on both the band generally and the upcoming album. SAICO means “the most ancient,” and “BAB” apparently stands for “baby” in Japanese. “SAB SE PURANI” means “the most ancient baby girl” in Hindi.
Needless to say, SAICOBAB (previously Psycho-Baba) also appreciated the musical terrain previously traversed in those cultures before they started intentionally straying from the path. Listen to the track “Bx Ax Bx” down below for a sense of the youthful exuberance and ancient cultural homage, and pre-order the album from Thrill Jockey now.
SAB SE PURANI BAB tracklisting:
01. naa Ra naa
02. aMn nMn
03. AWAWAW
04. Naam Chuulo
05. One
06. Bx Ax Bx
07. Siiidaa
More about: Boredoms, OOIOO, Psycho-Bab, SAICOBAB, Yoshida Daikiti, Yoshimi P-We
