Temporacha

Album Review

Temporacha is a different offering from Tenniscoats. Saya and Ueno are still working with very simple ideas, more like sketches of songs, and basic instrumentation (acoustic guitar, accordion, cheap organ, found objects). However, for this album, labelhead Lawrence English flew to Japan to record the duo live in various natural settings. Already pastoral in nature, their music suddenly takes a bucolic form, inscribing itself in the environment, just like another birdsong. This kind of brutally honest and somewhat naive music can seduce or alienate, depending on how you approach it. Luckily, Ueno is a guitar virtuoso in his own right (witness the beautiful "Sitting By," basically a solo guitar tune with Saya tossing pebbles into the river). "Ichinichi," featuring guitar and accordion, is another highlight. "Temporacha" feels like a set of postcards: short, endearing, and somewhat abbreviated. The album would have provided a finer listen with a little more care in the opening/closing of tracks (ending a field recording without a fadeout is a bit harsh). This may not be the best place to dip your toe in Tenniscoats' oeuvre, but it's an interesting and befitting experiment. ~ François Couture, Rovi