pampelmoose Dave Allen of Gang of Four’s Music and Media Blog — music . media . web. culture

The inbox provided quite a delight this morning. In fact a sublime one given that this Monday morning feels like the first day of winter even though we are technically still in fall. The colour of the trees here in Portland remind me.

Jihae is new to me.

I have no idea of Jihae’s nationality although that’s unimportant as her music is pan-global. Her influences range far and wide – try these on for size – Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Can, RZA, Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, Jacque Brel, Brian Eno, Bach, Tolstoy. I don’t believe she was trying to be smart when she made that list, I hear those influences. Here’s how she describes her musical world – “Mazzy Star has a nightcap with Nico at La Esquina. Bjork is on the jukebox. In walks Air with the ghost of Nina Simone on their back and Tom Waits follows. They begin to arm wrestle.”

This all sets the mood and conjures up an imaginary musical landscape that has been well traveled but Jihae craftily deconstructs the panoply before our eyes and rebuilds it in her own image. Nico, Bjork, Simone, Waits may have been her influential foundation but Jihae has constructed a delicate masterpiece atop those sturdy strands. Her vocal delivery is closest to Nico although without the rasp of that gorgeous French voice, soaked in alcohol and scoured by cigarette smoke; the electronic beats backing her lean too far toward the blandness of those behind the English chanteuse Sade at times but the overall ambiance is one of confidence, a trust in her own artful arrangements.

The remixes on her EP Afterthought add more interesting poly-rhythms that work to add body to the songs but they can’t improve on them – the songs hold their own without the need to be reworked, a good sign. ‘Faint,’ with its strummed bass line that reminds me of a slowed down ‘Come As You Are’ by Nirvana, is the most successful remix with its plush orchestrated arrangements and strings/synths colliding amongst multiple vocal layers.

‘Simple Man’ from the new album, Elvis Is Still Alive, [released November 11th] suggests a gender-swapping role; maybe. The album’s cover definitely does, with Jihae decked out as an Asian trans-gender Elvis complete with gaudy red lipstick and nail polish – a striking cover image that belies the contents of the tactile piece in your hand. You can sense that this won’t be an album of bland pop such as that peddled by Gwen Stefani who attempted authenticity by decking out her videos and concerts with the Harajuku Girls, portraying a fake take on Tokyo’s Takeshita St. Jihae is too intelligent to stoop to such tactics. She understands that they are unnecessary and let’s her music create imaginary worlds, seen or unseen. Her future looks bright. Follow her on Facebook.

Jihae – Best Thing