TEKE:TEKE are such a wonderfully weird and diverse band that it’s hard to know where to start with describing them. typically, i see them described as “japanese psych rock”, which is definitely, partially true, but there’s plenty more going on here — big brass runs, complex lounge breakdowns, traditional japanese instrumention, and i would add the feeling of a house party that’s in full swing and within spitting distance of getting wildly out of control.
the whole record here is worth listening to in full, songs like “Gotoku Lemon” slink along to a swaggering, bouncy, slightly sinister riff, while side A closer “Doppelganger” is a pensive, lovely, beautiful arrangement that sounds like the second act climax of a lurid, bittersweet and brilliant stage play, and is followed up on side B with “Setagava Koya”, which i like to pretend is the soundtrack to a particularly weird japanese cop show from the early 70s.
the record slows down toward the end, but not in a boring way — it becomes much more pensive, and there’s a moment near the beginning of “Yurei Zanmei” where maya kuroki’s vocals sound almost like a woodwind instrument.