Leftfield Japanese group OOIOO arrives Stateside early this spring. Headed by Yoshimi P-We (Boredoms), the group successfully integrates the often frightening eclecticism of Japanese underground music with a punk aesthetic, and a focus on American art rock.

Their past dozen or so releases find the band moving away from its earlier, noisier sound towards more tribal and loop based material. Yoshimi seems adept at producing pieces that could could easily be read as either political or mystical. OOIOO’s last record, Taiga, means “big river” in Japanese and “forest” in Russian. And while it’s not necessarily political to release a record focused on nature and tribalism, the current climate definitely ties the two subjects together. At the same time, the group’s continued focus on mood over movement, with psychedelic, hymnal instrumentation and chanting, might be nothing less than a mystical commune with nature. 

Come worship with OOIOO when they hit the shore on March 20, 2007.

Tour Dates
03/20 New York, NY: Knitting Factory
03/21 Chicago, IL: Empty Bottle
03/23 Seattle, WA: Chop Suey
03/24 Portland, OR: Doug Fir Lounge
03/26 San Francisco, CA: The Independent
03/27 Los Angeles, CA: Echo