Koh – piano, vocal | Masahiro Uemura – drums
Recorded by Shinya Matsushita on September 25, 2010 at Studio Dede, Tokyo, Japan. Mixed and mastered by Shinya Matsushita on October 7, 2010 at Studio Dede, Tokyo, Japan. Illustration and design by Momochokkiri. Translation: Natsue Noda. Producer: Koh KOYA Records.
Tracklist: 1. Doppyou (SpotElevation) 2. A Spider and a Flower 3. Slope 4. Ermine 5. Footpath 6. Footprints 7. Shichi 8. A Swindler
Lie or truth, play a joker
I find myself at loss about which one is real you, well, it’s sad
Gathering up pieces of mind, plod and plod, my tongue was cut
And no one talks any more and no one knows where the truth is
I find myself noticing the truth inside lies, bamboo bushes burned
Truth or lie
Tension is the debut from Komano-No-Oh
the duo of KOH and drummer Uemura, who began to perform under this name in 2009. A sense of playfulness is stressed here, and Uemura has much more freedom, in this context, to interpret KOH’s dream-like poems with changing pulses and a wider palette of colors. He mirrors the often cryptic lyrics with healthy doses of fun, either challenging the dramatic delivery or simply injecting a surprising, aggressive shuffle drumming in the middle of an abstract reciting of a poem, as on “A Spider and a Flower.”
On “Slope,” Uemura accompanies KOH’s almost operatic vocals with a galloping pulse that contrasts with KOH’s distant delivery. “Ermine” sound like a children’s song with its inventive language and the reference to a violent scene that may be borrowed from a popularmanga plot. “Footpath” and “Footprints” both highlight the affinity and telepathic interplay that KOH and Uemura have developed. “Seven” is an atypical ballad, delivered with restraint and grace. The bonus track, “A Swindler—#18,” possesses some child-like call-and-response interplay between KOH and Uemura. — Eyal Hareuveni
CD version (incl. shipment cost world-wide)