Teke::Teke
Shirushi
Kill Rock Stars
Ink 19 prides itself in bringing you the most wonderfully obscure music, and I have hit on a real gem: Teke::Teke. This name may be confusing, but they are a Japanese group based out of Montreal, and they sing in Japanese. The music is in some international time warp: sharp rock chords, a flutter of Japanese instruments as counterpoint, and a sound that’s all over the place. “Meiku” featuring a driving bass line and a vague suggestion of Jethro Tull – like flutes. Urgent and pounding, it’s a fine piece of rock and roll and sung in Japanese as are all the tracks here. “Youri Ni” features a surf guitar base, a driving rhythm, and mysterious voices in Japanese emoting “Book ‘em Danno” as far as I can tell. “Barbara” is the only track with a western name, it’s poppy and energetic, a male backing chorous embellishes the female vocals, and I can even here the police siren in the refrain. As to who the “Barbara” might be, I am clueless but energized. “Kizashi” takes a slower pace, throbbing guitars for a death metal backing barrage while flutes and bongos and other untraceable instruments dampen the atmosphere to that of a band trapped in a cave, moaning to the Gods for release. There’s nine tracks here, all wonderfully weird as they mix east and west and emit a new form of jazz to the universe, or at least new to the parts I visit.
Killrockstars.com
