snobb "Noisy Love Songs" is Korean cellist Okkyung Lee's second album on Tzadik, five years after her debut (on Tzadik as well). Its a small piece of beauty and art, just in a NY downtown manner.

The album opens with three tuneful songs full of soul. Lee's Eastern naturalism and asceticism are in full effect, lots of space and chamber style groove-less sound. All familiar elements that we know from many other Tzadik recordings, just without the klezmer/Eastern European roots and characteristic sentimentalism. Right when the experienced listener starts to feel danger(is this another catchy artsy Zorn commercially-oriented product?), Okkyung switches towards radical free-form improvs, and again - all are deeply rooted in an Eastern ascetic. These improvs contain small pieces of tunes, similar to what we already heard on the first three songs and while being far less accessible, are still cinematographic enough to become a soundtrack to some artsy cartoon one day.

Following the formula already mentioned above, after the three improvs, the music becomes different again - this time it's kind of freaky rock-jazz with electric violin sounding as heavy-metal solo guitar, accompanied by repetitive doomy rhythms. Then - a percussion and cello dialogue, first slightly melancholic, later - passionate, almost explosive. A few more down-tempo minimalist tuneful songs, similar to the album's opener closes the album.

A great team of collaborators (including percussionist John Hollenbeck (of Claudia Quintet),trumpeter Peter Evans (of Mostly Other People Do The Killing), pianist Craig Taborn, and the main Tzadik electronics wizard, Ikue Mori,among others), did a great job here - every sound on this album is added only if it really needs to be there. An excellent work of non-orthodox chamber jazz, more modern and less mannerist than its European equivalent from the ECM catalog. Great example of how experimental music can be accessible and attractive too.

This is the right place to start for everyone interested in one of the most interesting contemporary NY downtown artists. Okkyung's other albums are all different but often less accessible.

snobb Korea-born, New York-based, Berklee and New England Conservatory graduate/post-graduate composer and cellist Okkyung Lee owns a high position in a list of leading NY downtown innovative musicians. She has played with Laurie Anderson, Evan Parker, Wadada Leo Smith and Butch Morris, and has participated on some of John Zorn's experimental third stream albums. "Ghil" is her new turn - and it is logically rooted in her previous musical experiences.

This album contains solo cello recordings, but don't expect chamber atmosphere, warm tones and comfortable music. Okkyung's nearest influence is early Derek Bailey, but instead of guitar you hear distorted and often deconstructed cello. Likewise, instead of British humor, you get a strong classical background and Eastern brutal noise improvisations in a tradition known from Japanese avant-rockers.

This album was produced by Norwegian noise musician Lasse Marhaug. He used an old 1976 portable tape recorder, plus an odd use of mics and had the recordings take place in such unorthodox places as an abandoned hydroelectric powerplant in the Norwegian mountains, a back alley in Oslo or a cabin in the woods. Usually I don't care much about such details counting them as another marketing trick, but here on this album, the ambiance is a physical part of the music with no doubt.

This recorded material was released on the Austrian noise label Ideologic Organ, with minimal editing and without overdubs or other manipulation. The music presented is noisy, scratchy, distorted and always physical. Different from the myriad of other noise or noisy improv recordings around, this recording is well organized and you can feel some compositional background all the time. Starting from early Derek Bailey works, I can hardly remember such a successful combination of abrasive, scratchy, industrial, distortion on the outside form, while well-balanced philosophic content is maintaind inside. A very Eastern zen-like emotional statement makes for an unusual basis for almost punkish external form, though nothing sounds really punkish. In fact, Okkyung does not sound too different from her playing on Zorn's contemporary classical recordings, just the ambiance is not as chamber-like. Add her unique lyrical touch, which is obviously presented even on scratchy improvs ("art-noise improvs"?), and you have Okkyung's "Ghil", almost a masterpiece of modern noise-related improvisational music.