OOIOO
Gamel
THRILL JOCKEY
4/10
Yoshimi and her OOIOO project always deliver unusual, often sublime explorations of sound that are (almost always) percussively lead. Gamel is underpinned throughout by the clinking sound of the gamelan. As you’d expect with something so specific, the album has its moments, and its flaws. The LP opens with “Don Ah” and “Shizuku Gunung Agung,” two hugely long pieces that wander without ever really striking. The efficiency with which the vocal harmonies tie to Yoshimi’s snare is in many ways impressive and declares her leadership, but as they come closer and closer together, there’s little here that’s truly engaging to the ear. Performed live, this would be phenomenal, but here feels drab.
There are great elements to OOIOO’s latest; “Pebarongan,” for example, has a sole voice droning over the gamelan with energy. As a double album, though, Gamel struggles to forge creativity from the chimes of the Indonesian ensemble. Even “Gamel Uma Umo,” which adds a hefty dose of punk rock in the distorted vocals, can’t burst out of a somewhat monotonous loop.
Gamel will thrill many for its phasing and textures, but this LP doesn’t soar with the energy and purity of past releases making it a brave, but variable, venture.
