"I hunch my back to hide the very last of my tears
No wonder my spine is so brittle like this"
("Rickshaw Boy 駱駝祥子")
Yes, these lines pretty much define the emotional base level of Lane Shi Otay:onii's latest solo release on WV Sorcerer Productions. And even if I didn't already know the artist this quote plus the opening track being titled "Unfuck" would get me interested enough to give this album a listen.
But don't worry, I'll try to provide you with at least one or two further pieces of information:
OTAY:ONII - True Faith Ain’t Blind 信仰看見了我看見了它 (Immolated Ash vinyl LP) (2024)
The cover photograph straightforward shows us what kind of album "True Faith Ain't Blind Is": the singer is taking off her alien stage gear. And just as she sheds her skin, she also peels back the layers from her music. Instead of rich Electronic arrangements and walls of Noise she is only singing and playing piano.
And of course the word only should be banned as an insult in this context, since it might suggest that unplugging Otay:onii would somehow diminish her impact, make her quieter and less powerful. None of that it true. And we can compare, since a couple of tracks on here are alternate versions of songs from both "Dream Hacker" and "Ming Ming". So in a way this is an album like Karin Park's "Private Collection", where the artist gives us a more intimate perspective on her previously established work.
But then it's also not that, because firstly dramatic piano pieces aren't a novelty in the Chinese-American artist's repertoire, and secondly the majority of the eight tracks (including the digital only bonus track "Brave New World 美麗新世界") are actually new material.
If you wanted to describe Otay:onii's music with one word it would have to be intense, thoroughly emotionally intense. From whispery to floating, from pressing to blixabargeldish screeching her vocal performance puts no filter between her heart and her mouth. It's unescapably touching, raw expression through masterful delicate skills.
And her piano playing works as a perfection companion and amplification of her voice; a powerful attack, here reduced to maximum effective simplicity, there evoking Classical bombast or going wild with a dark free jazzy edge in pieces like "They Said That’s FREEDOM and I Laughed 哈哈", which could be extracted from one of Naoko Sakata's improvisations.
Once again Otay:onii proves herself as a stunning, complete artist, who viscerally knows how to take the listener's breath away. This album truly unfucks the prepared world - whatever that means. It's wonderfully real, reduced and elevated at the same time.
To noone's surprise the label graced this work of art with a beautiful packaging, which includes a lenticular card switching between two pictures, with lyrics on its backside. The Immolated Ash edition turns out to be a nice variant of smokey transparent vinyl.
The conclusion couldn't be easier: Inside and outside - I love everything about "True Faith Ain’t Blind".
And of course the word only should be banned as an insult in this context, since it might suggest that unplugging Otay:onii would somehow diminish her impact, make her quieter and less powerful. None of that it true. And we can compare, since a couple of tracks on here are alternate versions of songs from both "Dream Hacker" and "Ming Ming". So in a way this is an album like Karin Park's "Private Collection", where the artist gives us a more intimate perspective on her previously established work.
But then it's also not that, because firstly dramatic piano pieces aren't a novelty in the Chinese-American artist's repertoire, and secondly the majority of the eight tracks (including the digital only bonus track "Brave New World 美麗新世界") are actually new material.
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| Otay:onii live at Roadburn 2023 |
And her piano playing works as a perfection companion and amplification of her voice; a powerful attack, here reduced to maximum effective simplicity, there evoking Classical bombast or going wild with a dark free jazzy edge in pieces like "They Said That’s FREEDOM and I Laughed 哈哈", which could be extracted from one of Naoko Sakata's improvisations.
Once again Otay:onii proves herself as a stunning, complete artist, who viscerally knows how to take the listener's breath away. This album truly unfucks the prepared world - whatever that means. It's wonderfully real, reduced and elevated at the same time.
To noone's surprise the label graced this work of art with a beautiful packaging, which includes a lenticular card switching between two pictures, with lyrics on its backside. The Immolated Ash edition turns out to be a nice variant of smokey transparent vinyl.
The conclusion couldn't be easier: Inside and outside - I love everything about "True Faith Ain’t Blind".
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