Country : United Kingdom Label : Fire Genres and styles : Art Rock / Exotica / Psych-Rock Year : 2021

Vanishing Twin – Ookii Gekkou

· by Rupert Bottenberg

It’s basically impossible to describe London-based quartet Vanishing Twin without a mention of Stereolab, the studio-bound retrofuturists of the 1990s indie-rock wave, so let’s give a listen to “Zuum” and “Light Vessel” and be done with the matter. Let’s move on instead to all the other delicious ingredients that constitute the band’s excellent second album, Ookii Gekkou. Before it concludes, the record touches on low-gravity tropical space disco (“Phase One Million”), elegant, Ellingtonian exotica (“In Cucina”), the murky, atmospheric spoken word episode “The Organism”, the celestial harmonies of “Wider Than Itself” and closer “The Lift”—and yet further fascinating ornaments not mentioned here.

At the helm of Vanishing Twin is the farsighted multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, also of chamber-pop unit Fanfarlo and more, and it’s to her credit as captain of the ship that something so multifarious should also be satisfyingly cohesive. She’s chosen her crew judiciously, accompanied as she is by exploratory drummer Valentina Magaletti, whose extensive resume includes participation in Tomaga, CZN, and Moin, as well as Phil MFU, aka Man From Uranus, a master of modular synth strangeness, and bassist Susumu Mukai, whose discography under the moniker Zongamin merits great attention.

Alongside Stereolab, one might also care to mention hellacious hybridizers The Heliocentrics as a reference point, given the mashing-up of weird jazz, leftfield funk, elevated kitsch and appealingly mysterious soundscapes. It’s fair game to do so, as Heliocentric centerpiece Malcolm Catto co-produced Ookii Gekkou. A final word must go to the unusually refined lyric-writing on display here. To be clear, the wise words of “Wider Than Itself” are those of the poet Chaucer, but the rest are indicative of the care and thoughtfulness Lucas and company invest in that aspect of their songcraft. That almost every second phrase concludes with a question mark is in keeping with the insatiable curiosity that clearly propels the auditory adventures of Vanishing Twin.

Latest 360 Content

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, The Sound of Subtropical Pop

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, The Sound of Subtropical Pop

Nuits d’Afrique | Glowzi, in Soundsystem Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Glowzi, in Soundsystem Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal & Axé Experience, “Uma Festa” in The Rain

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal & Axé Experience, “Uma Festa” in The Rain

Naomi – A Dark Corner to Dance In

Naomi – A Dark Corner to Dance In

Nuits d’Afrique | Les mamans du Congo x Rrobin: A Successful Bet!

Nuits d’Afrique | Les mamans du Congo x Rrobin: A Successful Bet!

Nuits d’Afrique | Baz Konpa Honors konpa

Nuits d’Afrique | Baz Konpa Honors konpa

Nuits d’Afrique: Bab L’ Bluz Summons The Desert

Nuits d’Afrique: Bab L’ Bluz Summons The Desert

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Saïd Mesnaoui: Gnawa Fusion at the Heart of a Radiant Artist

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Saïd Mesnaoui: Gnawa Fusion at the Heart of a Radiant Artist

Festival de Lanaudière | Paulus & Elias: Mendelssohn’s oratorios presented by Akamus

Festival de Lanaudière | Paulus & Elias: Mendelssohn’s oratorios presented by Akamus

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sousou and Maher Cissoko: love, through the kora and by the kora

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sousou and Maher Cissoko: love, through the kora and by the kora

Festival Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sahad: The star of Dakar Shines on Balattou

Festival Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sahad: The star of Dakar Shines on Balattou

Nuits d’Afrique | Femi Kuti & The Positive Force Live!

Nuits d’Afrique | Femi Kuti & The Positive Force Live!

Nuits d’Afrique | Les mamans du Congo x Rrobin

Nuits d’Afrique | Les mamans du Congo x Rrobin

Nuits d’Afrique | Manamba Kanté and Soul Bang’s, Guinea’s “Beyoncé and Jay-Z

Nuits d’Afrique | Manamba Kanté and Soul Bang’s, Guinea’s “Beyoncé and Jay-Z

Karma Glider – From the Haze of a Revved Up Youth

Karma Glider – From the Haze of a Revved Up Youth

Nuits d’Afrique | Sahad: Decolonising music, spirits and the land

Nuits d’Afrique | Sahad: Decolonising music, spirits and the land

Cammac music camp : where professionals and passionate amateurs meet through music

Cammac music camp : where professionals and passionate amateurs meet through music

Nuits d’Afrique | Yawo and The Music of The Desert Nomads

Nuits d’Afrique | Yawo and The Music of The Desert Nomads

Nuits d’Afrique | Zal Sissokho and Toumany Kouyaté, a Kora Highlight

Nuits d’Afrique | Zal Sissokho and Toumany Kouyaté, a Kora Highlight

Nuits d’Afrique | Wesli, One Foot in Haiti, One Foot in Canada

Nuits d’Afrique | Wesli, One Foot in Haiti, One Foot in Canada

Nuits d’Afrique | Fabrice Koffy and His Slam, in Full Band Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Fabrice Koffy and His Slam, in Full Band Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Daby Touré Restarts His Machine

Nuits d’Afrique | Daby Touré Restarts His Machine

Nuits d’Afrique | Stogie T, South African Rainbow, Hip-Hop, Soul, Rock, Jazz

Nuits d’Afrique | Stogie T, South African Rainbow, Hip-Hop, Soul, Rock, Jazz

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal Reborn With Axé Experience

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal Reborn With Axé Experience

Subscribe to our newsletter