| Artist: | O-U |
| Title: | O-U |
| Label: | Pawn House Records PH-001 |
| Length(s): | 60 minutes |
| Year(s) of release: | ?? |
| Month of review: | [12/2003] |
| 1) | Blivits | 6.35 |
| 2) | Walts #4 | 6.10 |
| 3) | Gymnesia | 3.40 |
| 4) | Shuyojo | 7.05 |
| 5) | Epostrophy/Variation | 5.05 |
| 6) | Habanerege | 8.15 |
| 7) | Johnson Blues | 4.19 |
| 8) | Konzert Op 24 | 3.02 |
| 9) | Bugmeat | 4.21 |
| 10) | Minerals - Tasmania | 11.30 |
In view of the title, Walts #4, we should be expecting a waltz here. The style is subdued, more funeral like than on the previous track, with slowly alternating clarinet and sax. Not much melody here, mostly a vague meandering of a number of wind instruments. Gymnesia is more lyrical, again with the wind instruments being the foremost. Then the music takes a turn for the folky, at first I thought we might be entering Zappa territory, but that is not to be. Merry stuff, in a careful sort of way. Strangely, I often get the impression of Tom Waits during these tracks, without the vocals of course. But there is that slowness and darkness to it all.
Shuyojo is again a slow piece, dragging itself along, a bit like New Orleans jazz with all its energy drained. A weary kind of music, very much in the vein of some of the ECM material. This album could have fit well on that label. Later the music becomes more forceful with loud piano runs and it also becomes more attractive in that way. Very nice.
Epostrophy/Variation is a piece by Von Webern and Thelonious Monk. Plenty of piano and drums, paving the way for the rest to follow. There is something of Magma in here. Habanerege is a dancing piece with melodic violin, in Ponty style. A bit mellow compared to the other discordant pieces. The song has vocals, high female vocals in Japanese. I am not that fond them, but there is not a lot of it. Towards the end the organ sets in for some soloing.
Johnson Blues is one in which the piano dominates plainly. Indeed, a bluesy track, one with a different colour of sound. It is audible that this is a different recording session, the instruments sound closer up. The wind section is quite rowdy here and the harmonica should not be discounted either. Konzert op 24 is one that is hard to get into, plenty of discordance and awkward rhtyhm signatures. Again a piece written by on Von Webern.
Bugmeat is easy go lucky jazz. A bit of a joke really. Somebody is even singalong with it, but she does not really have her voice under control. Minerals - Tasmania is the longest one and closes the album. It opens with gamelan like meanderings and lots of percussives going. We have arrived back at the first session, is my impression based on the line-up. The violin is again very much present, giving the music is lively feel. This song comes quite close to jazzrock and is more melodic than O-U generally is.