The Answer Is In The Beat

Toiret Status: Otohime (Orange Milk, 2020)

June 16, 2020 at 8:45 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Isamu Yorichika’s first vinyl LP is a bit less beat-crazy than his previous cassettes, which sometimes flirted with mutated footwork; these tracks often resemble more of an implosion of rhythm. The rhythms are there, but the drums on opener “#86” are replaced by splashes, squeaks, and sometimes just silence. “#67” starts out sounding like it might be easy to follow, filled with pops, squishes, and chattering voices, but at some point the rhythm bunches up like a rug underneath a cartoon character trying to scurry away but staying in place. “#76.5” goes the other way, actually gaining more of a steady beat as it progresses, until it almost sounds like Bogdan Raczynski (in gurgly voice mode) making trap… and then bouncing squeaky toys off of the beat. “#78” is an arrhythmic sequence of short, blippy cartoonish sounds, sounding like a video game where you have to hit a lot of fast-moving shapes and they all trigger different sounds, and then that turns into bursts of rhythmic buzzing and distant, hazy vocals. “#65” is the biggest, most vivid explosion of drums, which get derailed by chattering voices at the end. Co La (NNA Tapes, Software, Orange Milk) assists on “#77”, a jittery click-dub piece filled with chattering voices and digital ribbits, as well as an atmospheric guitar break which ends up being the album’s most serene, relaxed moment. “75.5” is a colorful dance of minimalist patterns outfitted with computer clicks and bubble pops. The album ends up being less of an explosive neon rush than it starts, but it’s still fun, strange, and surreal.