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TENNISCOATS - Tan-Tan Therapy

TENNISCOATS - Tan-Tan Therapy
Hapna
CD // £10.99
FOLK / AMERICANA
Released: Nov 2007
Catalogue Number: H37

I don't think I'm the only person who fell hopelessly in love with Tenniscoats' 'other' 2007 album 'Totemo Aimasho' (which appeared on Room40 earlier this year). The itinerant duo of Saya and Takashi Ueno had stumbled across a sound which managed to somehow mingle the warring elements of Japanese electronica and free folk music, making for a pretty yet overwhelmingly subtle sound. 'Tan-Tan Therapy' is the latest full-length from the pair and this time we see them joined by none other than Swedish laptop folk pioneers Tape, a band who share a considerable amount of musical philosophy with Tenniscoats. Recorded in Sweden with Tape man Johan Berthling and in Cologne with the renowned Marcus Schmickler (Pluramon) these tracks are the distilled essence of Tenniscoats' unsurpassed beauty. Where 'Totemo Aimasho' was something of an exercise in subtlety, this time around the band are unafraid of going all out and allowing their lavish, sparkling heart to shine out. The band take up all manner of instruments in their quest; glockenspiels, harmonica, bells, guitars, whistling, piano... you probably know what to expect, but the lush Far Eastern quality the pair infuse into their tracks has to be heard to be believed. Indeed there are similarities between this and Tape's seminal post-folk masterpiece 'Rideau', but any academic weight is lifted here, managing to conjure up a light hearted breeze wherever it travels. Just listen to the smoky jazz of 'Oetsu to Kanki no Nanoriuta' as Saya's breathy vocals are uttered over piano, interwoven guitar phrases and light percussion before organs and electronics take centre-stage - this is epic pop music, music that is pretty but never cloying or overly twee. Tenniscoats yet again have managed to win me over with this record, and while it might not be as stark and surprising as its predecessor, the inclusion of Johan Berthling and his Tape cohorts makes 'Tan-Tan Therapy' something altogether different and absolutely rewarding. The cold north meets the humid east, and the result is a heavenly morning frost... absolutely lovely.

• Tracks on TENNISCOATS - Tan-Tan Therapy:
• TENNISCOATS : 01
• TENNISCOATS : 02
• TENNISCOATS : 03

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