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LP
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DC 612LP
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"Since each album requires its own approach, the session for Car and Freezer provided another chance. In the spring of 2013, Eiko convened with her band -- but in contrast with the previous album, she did not come prepared with arranged demos. Instead, she and the band stared unblinking at each other for DAYS, seeking to divine the elusive communal flow for her songs! No, actually, Toshiaki Sudo, Hatano Atsuko, Yamamoto Tatsuhisa, and Jim O'Rourke all got it right away -- make Eiko's kind of pop music, but bring themselves forward in their playing. In this approach, Eiko was drawing from her background of improvised music to inform the direction of her new songs. Guest musicians Shinpei Ruike on trumpet and Daisuke Takaoka on tuba added to this process by playing with sensitivity and focus along with the band. In the booth, O'Rourke also doubled as producer, providing directions for Eiko to choose from while moving forward in her unclear path. The new approaches clearly paid off: the sound of Car and Freezer has a swinging openness, with looser, rolling rhythms that suit the mood of exploration and the sense of introspection that are so much a part of Eiko's songs. The band's expertly precise playing is contrasted by their intuitive choices within the songs, which are seized upon by Eiko for mood and color. And Jim doesn't hurt the sound a bit by focusing on interesting and unconventional sounds whose presence in the mix help define a sense of the unexpected."
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