"What should we do with this ‘hoppe’? / Not to waste it, we wrapped it in plastic wrap and put in the freezer / Four years later, the old man died..."
This was one of my descriptive passages from a past review of TEKE::TEKE:
Drenched in whimsy, progressive post rock atmospheres, a cross generational pastiche of orchestral sounds cast through the lens of different countries' folk / original sounds and hybridized, TEKE::TEKE as press notes indicate [was first an homage to legendary Japanese guitarist Takeshi ‘Terry’ Terauchi and has quickly evolved into a band of its own by blending Japanese ‘Eleki’ with elements of modern music such as shoegaze, post-rock and noise. The band is a cocktail of 7 musicians from well known Montreal projects (Pawa Up First, Patrick Watson, Boogat, Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra and Dynamo Cleoptara)] Rad, mad and unfettered and unstoppable, TEKE::TEKE is an expansive inspiration.
I stand by that general feeling but feel like a left an important 3 letter description out, FUN. Take "Hoppe", for example, from their sophomore album "Hagata", out now via Kill Rock Stars. From the onset, the feeling is unfettered abandon, late 70's proto punk colliding with 80's sideways rock colliding further with nu-jazz / jazztronica while also filtering world sounds like Andalusian tinged guitar maneuvers, surf punk spring reverb entanglements and straight punk rock trading in flute and trumpet solos in for guitars. It is all, a heady unbridles sense of fun even despite the surreal fable that runs through "Hoppe" expressed in the lyrics.
"One day the old man ate a manjū (Manjū: traditional Japanese confection) and a ‘hoppe’ fell off Should we go to the doctor?
What should we do with this ‘hoppe’?
Not to waste it, we wrapped it in plastic wrap and put in the freezer.
Four years later, the old man died
We thawed/defrosted the ‘hoppe’
And from it came out the "Old man TARO"! (A baby old man)"
The glimpse of those stunningly abstract lyrics written by vocalist Maya Kuroki is yet, just one of her " bizarre yet profound fables, featuring old men emerging from food as a metaphor for mortality"
From press offerings:
The Official Video, directed by guitarist Sei Nakauchi Pelletier alongside Samuel Woywitka, features the band in their comfort zone, performing an intense set at a club. Featuring animations courtesy of Kuroki, it is yet another chapter in the band's whimsical visual catalogue.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/teke_teke_band/
https://www.teketekeband.com/
https://teketekeband.bandcamp.com/album/hagata
https://twitter.com/teketekeband
https://open.spotify.com/album/7rFuvWny73XPHtJ5qaglW8
Psychedelic rock group TEKE::TEKE are intimately familiar with duality, of splitting reality between past and present, complex melodies and hushed interludes, intense action and lingering response. After building their sound through careful assembly of countless splinters of Japanese folk, psychedelia, Brazilian surf rock, and other far-flung touchstones, the Montreal-based seven-piece indulged in and learned from stretching out in free-floating experimentation on the road. Now releasing their sophomore album, Hagata (out now via Kill Rock Stars), TEKE::TEKE move fully in the space between, embracing the power of mythic pairings and identities lived at once. Matching muscly intensity with moments of cloudy meditation—like a world-class high jumper finding bliss at the apex of their leap—the group frame expressive compositions with regal flute, rich horns, ecstatic guitar, and a thumping rhythm section.
"Hoppe", alt rock, effervescent on high, jazztronic, lead singer Maya Kuroki, Montreal-based Japanese psych-rock group, new album "Hagata", orchestral avant pop, pastiche fusion, TEKE::TEKE
No comments:
Post a Comment