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LP
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BBLP 046LP
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Makoto Kawabata (Acid Mothers Temple) presents squimaoto. squimaoto is a female trio from Kobe, Japan formed in 2003. They have been preparing their comeback for 2017 with the help of Kawabata, who has been remixing and adapting their self-titled album (2007). Just on hearing the first few notes of squimaoto, the chaos seems overwhelming. However, this chaos is in fact quite controlled. It is synonymous with loops, permanent returns to square one, then a few detours, and recurring pitfalls. As far as the rhythm, the beat is square, obsessed with symmetry and, despite the icy echoes of a distant guitar, the cymbals hammer a cadence which is neither brutal or lazy -- that's where the uneasiness resides. This mated rhythm sends the listener on an opioid-fueled trip back to the heyday of indie rock. "Uida", the eight-minute opening track, seems to delay the explosion; It evolves, meandering slowly around an obsessive looped pattern which is only a few seconds long. The trio seems to enjoy teasing the listener with a game of catch-and-fall, which creates the sensation of taking off and flying. This feeling of departure feels rather uncomfortable at first, but with multiple listens, the childlike melodies intertwine with one another giving the opus a certain cohesion. Haji and Natsue's voices mix perfectly, whispering an elusive fantasy into the listener's ears, which only makes sense if nobody understands it. You might expect an explosion, the bouquet with the petals flying, but that's not counting on the trio's mischievousness and awareness that one has to carefully manage the blooming in order to savor all its glory. Kawabata Makoto has perfectly measured the balance provided by the majestic, yet cunning trio, which knows how to leave the necessary space between two notes so they can fully exist, before bursting into the fury of "Hets". squimaoto: Hagi (g.vo), Natsue (g.vo), Akemi (dr). "Their music is so unique, humble like typical old-fashioned Japanese women, but also strong like typical recently Japanese women... " --Makoto Kawabata
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