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press
NOW Magazine (Toronto): CD review
OK CITY OK: Made By Elaborate Process (independent)
One of last year's NXNE quiet successes, Japan's ok city ok return to the festival with a sophomore album in tow and plans to distribute it in North America.
If this collection of distortion-fuelled spiky pop is any indicator, it's a well-laid plan. Texan expat Kay Grace brings along some weird wit, while drummer Y Shiva thrashes the skins and Tom Suzuki supplies guitar that veers from jarring and distorted to woozy and subtle.
Soundchecking Soundgarden and as much as they paw Pavement, ok city ok's musical identity crisis is their strength.
ok city ok play the Silver Dollar Friday (June 13) at 9 pm.
- Lucie Davies
craveonline.com
2008 Summer Festival Preview: North By Northeast (NXNE)
June 12-15, Toronto, Ontario The sister set-up to the uber-popular South By Southwest, this indie hub allows Canadians and Northern American fans alike access to the hottest acts, the newest films and the most important industry reps worldwide. . . .
Come for: Money Mark, French Kicks, and Swervedriver
Stay for: ok city ok, Menwhopause, and Grimskunk
Soundproof Magazine (Toronto)
Holy Joe's was hotter than hell. The small room at the top of what seemed like an endless series of stairwells was filled with an enthusiastic crowd, with much love being exchanged between OK's mercurial frontman, Kay Grace, and the NXNE [North By Northeast Music Conference] devotees.
Large doses of Pixies and Wilco with a tablespoon of Joe Jackson make up this radio-ready trio, who seemed entirely comfortable at the centre of attention, but maintained an appealing, if slightly nebbishy vibe. Using feedback tastefully, and throwing interesting and unexpected changes into the song structure, the band kept things interesting . . . The songs themselves were extremely well written and catchy. One could imagine the music of ok city ok playing from a car stereo of a convertible on an American highway in 1978 if not for the modern touches of post-punk and indie rock that peppered the music.
The band members were extremely likable, with good humour and witticisms making up the in-between-song banter, and the cute-as-a button, smiling, female bass-player radiated warm fuzzies to anyone within a city block of her . . .
Definitely worth seeing, and likely capable of great things - the next time you're in Tokyo, be sure to check them out."
- Chester Morganfield
from Tower Records Japan's website (www.bounce.com)
by Masashi Sato from Quruli (a cool big-deal Japanese band)
"I like to support these 'international communication' bands. If there were more bands like this, I think I'd go out to see music more often."
- Masashi Sato, Noise McCartney Records / Qururi
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Mondo Magazine Online (Toronto)
". . . It was a pretty much packed room, all here for Tokyo's own ok city ok, a three piece fronted by expatriate American Kay Grace. Opening their show with a thrilling promise of “special effects”, ok city ok delivered both visually and aurally (but more aurally) with a spooky headset light trick at the start of their set and with distorted, funky guitar sounds throughout. Another painful set for my neck cramp (but not my sensibilities), it was hard to keep from rocking to the thick, chunky bass notes, wailing guitar and wandering drums, so I didn't. The band's presence was really something to be seen, and I can only hope that all their shows have the same energy. Each member seems to exist in their own musical bubble, doing their own thing, which only by sheer coincidence happens to perfectly complement the things of the other band members, imbuing them with a harmonious equality. The band's humour, a key factor in whether or not I enjoy a band, is also highly on display. From song titles like “I Wanna be Your Lawyer” and “I Wanna be Your Enraged Husband” to introducing each song as a new type of love song, the band's quirkiness was on full display, nicely complementing the band's style of play. In case it isn't obvious, I immensely enjoyed this band's performance, and would recommend catching them if that becomes remotely possible for anyone in the next while."
- Sam Linton
Dallas Observer
"Texas ex-pat Kay Grace heads up ok city ok, a band made up of Tokyoites whose sharply weird pop songs harken back to the odd aesthetic of late-'80s Austin music. For instance, it's difficult to tell if their lyrics are just nonsensical - "I crushed the aluminum can / Do you have a tissue?" - or, written by Grace, are twisted up by being translated from English to Japanese back to English. The music is equally odd, with melodies just this side of catchy plus spazzy, sprawling violin and crunchy guitars. Catch them at the Barley House Friday, June 15."
- Jonanna Widner
www.download.com
"Alternative-indie band from Japan boasts radio-ready, aim-to-please vocals, while the lyrics konk you over the head with a square watermelon. With the vim of the Replacements, they're surprising, hilarious, open, and free. A treat in any country, anytime."
- Editors
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Rock of Japan (NYC) http://www.rockofjapan.com
" . . . Written and sung by a U.S. expatriate, is [Made By Elaborate Process] J-rock? Effects, mostly guitar and vocal, are littered throughout, providing a certain degree of dysfunction. . . . The lyrics tend toward wry observations on life and relationships, as if a folk poet had been unevenly wrapped up into an alternative pop/rock assemblage. The result is vaguely disorienting, darkly humorous, and often winningly insincere."
- Paul Wheeler
Please Do Come Closer (Toronto)
"The 2007 NXNE Festival kicks off tomorrow (June 7) and, if you're planning to attend and are anything like me, you're probably having quite a time choosing which of the approximately 450 acts playing at one of the various venues around the city you might attempt to go see. Allow me to make a suggestion.
ok city ok is a Tokyo band (with some Texas flavour) scheduled to play Holy Joe's this Friday (June 8). . . . I made my way over to their MySpace page and discovered they've got some pretty rockin' tunes. Plus, they don't hit the stage until 10pm so you should be able to catch them after the Dino Jr. gig is done (cause I know that's where everyone's going to be, myself included)."
- Nicole
Tokyo Music (Tokyo)
"ok city ok had no questionnaires, but their three-minute blasts of Pete Townshend-esque guitar jiggery-pokery were a welcome tonic to the lumbering [previous band]. Fronted by an exiled American, Kay Grace, ok city ok are an unabashedly old-school indie-rock band that any fan of The Replacements / Paul Westerberg, The Hold Steady et al would do well to seek out."
- Graeme Jarvie
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