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Toru Dodo: Do You Like Cappuccino?
On "In a Sentimental Mood" and "Air," Dodo's deft fingers oscillate between restlessness and pensiveness, producing two sensuous lived-in renditions that stand apart as album highlights. They are modest in form and execution, elegiac in ambiance and tone, ultimately anchored in a kind of gravity that permeates this record. The album is best when it is modestly itself; tentative attempts at breaking form resulting in hooks that sound too precious. This dissonance is apparent on "The Sahara." The beginning is beautiful, with Dodo alone on keys. David Eggar's cello is introduced teasingly and intensely; his is the sound that takes the reins. Dodo's playing becomes more gregarious at the wrong moments, overpowering the smoky ambiance, or fading into self-conscious quiet. It's an awkward miscommunication, tragic because it happens rarely on an otherwise solid disc.
"Miagetegoran Yorunohoshio" is the antithetical equivalent of the title track. The arrangement is meticulous and loving; it sounds like something to be found on the staticky, crackling records of yorelow-fi, gritty and soft. It contrasts with "Cappuccino," which seems too reminiscent of a sanitized contemporary style. It doesn't lack precision, but it does miss an immediacy and would not sound out of place in a commercial for the caffeinated commodity that is the album's cheekily-purported commercial muse.
The album's dissonances notwithstanding, Dodo is a pianist to note and his work on this album deserves accolades. His work with Eggar is especially promising, and the notion of future collaborations is a demand they must be obliged to supply.
Track Listing
Evidence; Wawawawa; Do You Like Cappuccino?; My Love Song; The Sahara; Miagetegoran Yorunohoshio; Arubabura; Manhattan Volcano; In a Sentimental Mood; Air; Impression of Aiki.
Personnel
Toru Dodo
pianoYasushi Nakamura: bass, electric bass; Joseph Lepore: bass; Rodney Green: drums; David Eggar: cello.
Album information
Title: Do You Like Cappuccino? | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Self Produced
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