NA"naisnice"Pax

TINKLY, RANDOM and interrupted by free-form howls, the opening track on "Naisnice" could have been made by musicians who just picked up their instruments for the first time minutes before the session. But "Na Impro" is followed by "B," in which guitarist Kazu Nomura and keyboardist Noriaki Watanabe reveal their classical technique. These are the two poles of the improvisational trio's sound, although the music doesn't simply travel between them. Indeed, the whole point of this group is that it can potentially go in any direction.

All three members of Na are Japanese, but they met while attending a community college in Seattle and are still based there. Drummer Shinsuke Yamada's move to the Pacific Northwest was reportedly inspired by an interest in Nirvana, and Nomura played some rock riffs when the band performed in Washington last June. Yet "Naisnice" is mostly abstract and ethereal, without much boogie or groove. That doesn't mean it's gentle, as the vocal outbursts, discordant guitar and frenetic percussion of "Moaning Call" demonstrate. Such pieces attest that Na's anarchic style is defined not by instrumental ability but by artistic philosophy.

-- Mark Jenkins, Washington Post