by Ljubinko Zivkovic (@zivljub)
So many bands and artists are currently going for a blend of genres, very often those that seemingly don't go together. If such blends don't work out, you get a mish mash of disparate sounds that somehow don’t mesh. On the other hand, when such combinations work, you get a musical kaleidoscope that brings something new and fresh. Yet, for such a “musical trick” if you will to work, such a band or artist really have to know the genres they are combining down to a pat and truly want to involve themselves in the music they are creating.
TEKE::TEKE, Montreal's seven piece collective, are definitely a band (in true sense of that word) that have been trying to combine many genres together, often in a single song, since its inception (two albums and two singles ago), something that they bring to heady heights on Hagata, their latest. So, what have we got here? With their solid base in all forms of Japanese music - folk, quite felt in the opener “Garakuta,” to J-pop (“Onaji Heya”) and J-funky jazz (“Hoppe”). Throughout though, they garner their music with heavy doses of all forms of psych, garage, and surf, to brass rock and prog (“Me No Heya”).
Such a combination also requires some hefty, precise musicianship and Sei Nakauchi Pelletier (guitar, synth, percussion, additional vocals), Hidetaka Yoneyama (guitar, backing vocals), Mishka Stein (bass, synth, percussion, guitar, backing vocals), Ian Lettre (drums, percussion, synth, piano, backing vocals), Etienne Lebel (trombone, gaida, percussion, backing vocals), Yuki Isami (flute, shinobue, taisho koto, synth, backing vocals), Maya Kuroki (vocals, guitar) are at their best here. Kuroki's vocals lead the way, particularly prominent on the excellent title track/lead single. The sound TEKE::TEKE create on Hagata will take them everywhere.