Kokeshi Doll

June 13, 2004

Kokeshi Doll | Pirukorui |Benten | Japan

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Kokeshi Doll put on one of the best shows I've seen in 2004 when they played Chicago recently. Their dark and dramatic style of noise rock was riveting onstage but I was unsure how it would survive the translation into ones and zeroes--putting across on disc the band's extreme dynamics and Naomi Okuyama's vocal theatricality would be no small feat. But from the opening notes of Pirukorui it's clear that Kokeshi Doll explore the studio with the same confidence and mastery they exhibit live.

March 23, 2004

Kokeshi Doll & Bleach | Japanese Girls Samurai US Tour |Benten | Japan

On March 21 at Chicago's Bottom Lounge, two noise-wielding trios, Kokeshi Doll and Bleach, unsheathed their sounds, cut open space and time and awakened the room to the amazement of the present moment. As the crowd exited after the show, one woman said "they didn't just break stereotypes about Japanese girls--they broke stereotypes I didn't realize I had about what women can do."