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TRACKLIST
REVIEW
If there's one thing to be said for Nookicky, it's consistency. I liked Rotepin, One Aging By Nook, and Rigid Ink Pool, so when the band came to New York (Full, U, and Taku), I didn't hesitate to pick up Pinhole and Cloudy pop book. Both are really good, but here I'll be reviewing Cloudy pop book.
The CD opens with Zull's eerie-sounding guitar work and the piping sound of Dinah's midi whistle, and when Full begins to sing, his voice first sounds like a wail. Throughout "A whistle without shape", the first song of the mini-album, Full sings a duet with himself - one voice is deep, and the other is nasally. The instrumentation takes a backseat to Full's voice, and when the typical "solo" comes around, it's not Zull who plays - he strums distorted chords in the background while Dinah plays a simple melody. The song sets a mysterious, eerie, somewhat bleak tone for the rest of the CD.
"End of regret" picks up with the distorted sounds right where the previous track left off - the instrumentation sounds metallic and blurry. This time, there's only one vocal track, and Full sings with a presence that makes him sound less distant than before.
The popping bouncy sounds of the percussion of "Cloudy pop book" immediately set it apart from the other tracks on this disc, but like the others, it requires Full's voice to carry the song. This song is probably the least "weird" of the CD - for the most part, the song consists of Full's voice, Zull's guitar, the guest bass, and some presumably programmed percussion, but every now and then, Dinah's whistle pops up.
"Frozen damp ground" immediately returns the listener to the strange world of "A whistle..." with the same atmosphere but a slower pace. One can hear the guitar faintly in the background, but the song features, once again, Full's voice, and programmed sounds.
"Frog King" is probably my favorite song on the mini-album. It mizes jazzy flavor with the sound that only Nookicky can create; it's the catchiest track on the disc. Zull's part and the percussion are more prominent here than in other tracks, but one can never escape from the programmed sounds. I especially like the "gu gu gu gu gu" frog sounds, courtesy of Full.
Cloudy pop book definitely has the same atmosphere and attitude as Rigid Ink Pool. Full's voice is on the side of nasal, and his choice of instrumentation is original, so if you're looking for straight-up visual or rock, I doubt you'll be happy with Cloudy pop book. However, if you want good music that doesn't sound like all the other good music out there, you'll definitely want to give Cloudy pop book, and the rest of the Nookicky discography, a good listen.
GRADE: B+/A-
Reviewed on May 7, 2005.