Izumi Misawa: Speaking Behind the Raindrops
Symbolic Interaction

Izumi Misawa's debut album Speaking behind the Raindrops extends Symbolic Interaction's purview into novel territory, specifically bedroom electro-acoustic pop of the kind associated with Cokiyu and, to a lesser degree, Caroline. Misawa's a Japanese multi-hyphenate—performer, percussionist, singer, composer, and sound designer—who uses digital methods to assemble her toy orchestra of sounds (e.g., marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone, kalimba, hand-cranked music box, toy piano) into multi-hued explorations that are alternately playful (the helter-skelter dance of kalimbas and electronic squiggles that comprises “Shizuku”) and lullaby-like (the pretty “Hakoniwa,” which pairs music-box tinkles with her soft voice, and “Waiting for ....,” a child-like setting of tiny sparkles and glissandos). Misawa's smart enough to realize that an entire album of similarly-styled material will grow tiresome so occasionally makes a left turn, such as the hazy and funereal one taken in “Loop-end.” In “Chairs,” a slow rhythmic unfurl works at cross-purposes to a hyperactive parade of percussive and electronic accents, while a pronounced Steve Reich influence declares itself in the marimba patterns that dance through “Pray for Rain” (there's even a hint of jazz in the vibraphones that cascade like metal droplets). Speaking behind the Raindrops should appeal to fans with an appetite for playful electro-acoustic song settings.

July 2008