Dustin Wong & Takako Minekawa "Are Euphoria (Thrill Jockey)"
Experimental guitarist Dustin Wong and sometimes j-pop vocalist, sometimes experimental vocalist Takako Minekawa have teamed up again! Are Euphoria (Thrill Jockey) finds the duo pairing up once again to beguile and disorient their listeners. Dustin’s guitar playing is as otherworldly as any other’s, and here his mixture of looping and Fripp-esque phrases, coupled with co-production from Co La, frames the mostly choral hints from Minekawa. The result is an album that demands to be paid attention to, as serious music tends to do. Yet it’s also danceable, and would elevate the culture of any party (if I go to a party and this album is playing, I am staying!). Check out stuttering beats and pitch-shifted instrumentality of “Zaaab.”