ISHIBASHI, EIKO - IMITATION OF LIFE (LP)

"drag city presents the first domestic release of any kind from the japanese singer-songwriter eiko ishibashi - and the first vinyl release of any kind on this already-accomplished performer. and what a release! imitation of life isn't just another pop record from another part of the world - it's got a sci-fi theme and is produced by none other than drag city's old friend, jim o'rourke!since 2006, eiko ishibashi has released four pop albums and a solo piano album, all of which have been highly rated by the japanese press. she plays at least a hundred gigs a year, including big rock festivals and european tours. so this is music that people like when they hear it! but this isn't just fun-time sweet-and simple music. check out this list of the artists eiko has played with: keiji haino, akira sakata, charlemagne palestine, seiichi yamamoto, gasper claus, oren ambarchi, glenn kotche, darin gray and merzbow. she is also a member of the current jim o'rourke band and recently formed an improv group called kafka's ibiki, with o'rourke and tatsuhisa yamamoto. after her third album carapace (2011), eiko decided to do something new, which was when she started eiko ishibashi to mou shinda hitotachi. the members of this group (jim o'rourke, toshiaki sudo, tatsuhisa yamamoto, atsuko hatano) became the band for imitation of life. with an understanding of band dynamics developed through her many live shows and recordings, eiko's delicate, precise compositions are arranged with a dramatic-yet-humorous prog-pop sound. eiko plays piano, vibraphone, and flute as well as nylon-string guitar, a first for her, on imitation of life. the flowing backgrounds she has conceived for her light, sweet melodies are captured by o'rourke with a lively sense of play, which matches eiko's lyric concept. the lyrics in this album embody a science fiction story which brings the album to a challenging new level. the variety of sounds, the impact of lyrics and her imagination keeps expanding, and in the latter stages of the album, the songs achieve a shattering impact. in addition to the band, the guest musicians play an important role with their unique colors as well. many people will be blown away by the performance of jazz master akira sakata on the title track. tomoo gokita provided the ideal cover graphics for imitation of life." (label info)