The Room40 imprint is probably the foremost purveyor of experimental music in the Southern Hemisphere. Founded around the turn of the century by Lawrence English, the label has become the prolific home of many of Australia's best ambient and electronic musicians, as well as a rest stop for guys like Keith Fullerton Whitman, Philip Jeck, Oren Ambarchi, David Toop, Thurston Moore and Luc Ferrari. Japanese singer and experimentalist Tujiko Noriko's here makes her second appearance on the label.
Noriko's 2005 effort for Room40, Blurred in My Mirror, had a beguiling and murky atmosphere but nonetheless offered moments of stunning pop clarity-- this collaboration leans much more heavily to abstraction and the pure celebration of sound. John Chantler, whose association with Room40 goes back to its beginnings, and label founder Lawrence English play a variety of rock instruments in a decidedly un-rock way, but they focus mostly on their synthesizers, while Noriko layers her voice to build on their soundscapes. She seems to revel in the juxtaposition of different types of singing. On "Make Me Your Private Party", she very cleary carries the central melody in sharp, child-like "la la las," surrounding them with slightly processed vocal parts that feel somewhat sinister. The effect rolls between fantasy and nightmare.
English has curated compilations that focus on illustrating the sleep state, and he and Chantler seem keen to explore that territory here, creating a series of musical backdrops that often sound like half-remembered songs or mirror the way external stimuli can wiggle into our dreams. "12 O'clock on the Highway" opens things strongly, with a nebula of Noriko voices softly meandering in and out of harmony, before the song shifts into an abstract psych groove. Much of the album expertly bridges obtuse style and pleasing sound, though it closes meekly with a wandering track comprised mostly of accordion, Noriko's quietest mumblings and crackling samples of voices.
Whatever its fleeting shortcomings, though, this is an album of singular vision, and one that's bound to appeal to admirers of all three artists. It's perhaps a bit more outré than many of Noriko's solo ventures, but it still fits well within her body of work, especially when her previous Room40 records are considered.
