“Everybody Say”
from the album Migration
2008
iTunes
On their sophomore release, Migration, Brooklyn-based experimental indie rockers Takka Takka depart from their mid-tempo, Velvet Underground style and, instead, explore a sleepy blend of worldly instrumental sounds. Produced by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah drummer Sean Greenhalgh, Migration seems to be more about creating mellow moods and artsy musical ambiance and less about making obvious lyrical statements.
The opening track, “Monkey Forest Road,” sets a mysterious tone with its anxious and spacey tinkerings, a la Pink Floyd’s “One Slip,” and its climaxing percussion-and-words delivery, loosely reminiscent of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” Layers of flowing acoustic and woodwind melodies swirl gracefully on “Change, No Change,” one of the album’s lighter, more memorable tunes. Several songs have a definite Flaming Lips vibe in both their quirkiness and hippie-trance ventures. Paul Simon-meets-Vampire Weekend easy grooves dominate “One Foot In a Well” and “Everybody Say.“ Probably most invigorating, but almost out of place on this album, is “Homebreaker,” a peppy, repetitive, Hot Chip-infused dance number backed by an escalating echo of chants.
Although strongly committed to a calm-daydream state, Migration provides a tour of unconventional styles and textures — from spacey and ethereal to folksy and jam-like. Listeners in a rush should take heed: this is an album that requires a fair amount of time and meditative attention, particularly on the latter half. In fact, the songs often glide so easily from track to track that it can be hard to determine where one ends and another begins, making this more like a complete experience and less like a hit-single recording. Even the dancey selections are more hypnotic than lively, with lyrics and beats being robotically repeated. Ironically, especially considering their name, repetition seems to be Takka Takka’s greatest talent, but they also score high for expanding their sound to make an imaginative mix of tranquil yet intriguing music.