Damon & Naomi
(on tour with Michio Kurihara)
Song to the Siren: Live in San Sebastian
Sub Pop

Damon and Naomi play a very special blend of singer-songwriter melodies combined with West-coast psychedelia and just a hint of early 4AD. This last element is made especially clear on this live recording from the 2001 European tour by the inclusion of the timeless Tim Buckley classic "Song to the Siren", somewhat of an anthem to the 4AD camp after This Mortal Coils hit with the same song. The main difference in the approach is Damon and Naomi's emphasis on the folksy elements of the song, and of course Michio Kuriharas brain-melting brand of acidguitar that drips all over the place.

For those new to the band, Damon and Naomi are a duo formed when Galaxie 500 folded and have since 1992 mesmerised an increasingly larger audience with their beautiful songs. In 2000 they played The Terrastock festival (arranged by the mind-blowing magazine Ptolemaic Terrascope) and collaborated extensively with the Japanese masters of eastern psych, Ghost. This concert led to the release of the LP Damon and Naomi and Ghost, which again led to this 2001 tour where Kurihara from Ghost joins in. The guitar of Kurihara is something else; he knows exactly what to do to lift each song into another dimension. The melodies and sounds he produces are like nothing on this earth and his roots in White Heaven and Ghost is well worth digging out.

My copy did not come with the accompanying DVD from the tour, but just a small glimpse of it seems to indicate another frolicking on tour video. Mostly for the fans, if it not delves deeper into the performances themselves. Those performances are sure to give you goosebumps if this CD is anything to go by. If you like your melodies sweet and haunting maybe it's time to check out the Deamon (and Naomi).

Distribution in Norway: Tuba!

Copyright © 2002 Killer