Gezan & Million Wish Collective, 'Tokyo Dub Story'

"Tokyo Dub Story" is abuzz with voices that ask questions ("Will you cry every time you remember me?"), give exclamations ("Teacher, my stomach hurts!") and engage with one another in an ostensible dialogue ("All we need is love / Love is not enough"). It's pieced together by Japanese experimentalists Gezan and the Million Wish Collective, their composition like a game of exquisite corpse. Occasionally, their fluttering collage feels as if life is flashing before you as a series of everyday utterances. A drum beat arrives to ground the chatter, then ambience and glitched vocals weave everything into a rich tapestry: it's the charming naïveté of The Books mixed with the meditative poignancy of Japanese acts like Asa-Chang & Junray. Throat singing gets folded in, too, granting "Tokyo Dub Story" a sacred aura. Consider this a reminder to appreciate the words all around us, whether confessional or quotidian, impassioned or silly.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.