Kahondo Style

Musical boundaries are constantly expanding and being knocked straight down, as well as the 1980s saw the line between pop/rock and “songs” growing to be harder to tell apart within an increasingly large numbers of cases. Kahondo Style had been a prime exemplory case of an organization that can’t be easily categorized into either “rock and roll” or “avant-garde.” The top English ensemble was well-schooled in the avant-garde, but performed quirky, frequently humorous materials that was grounded by means of tunes (instead of compositions). A ballpark assessment will be the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, although Kahondo Style was goofier and even more lyric-oriented. Few particular information regarding this seven-member clothing (originally an octet) managed to get over the Atlantic, but it’s sure that they released at least two albums through the ’80s. GREEN TEA EXTRACT & Crocodiles, from 1987, is usually their high stage, with an eclecticism that includes recommendations to ’60s spy soundtracks, corny Tin Skillet Alley, tango, Asian traditional melodies, and old-school jazz, without sounding pretentious. Kazuko Hohki’s childish vocals (which betray an imperfect control of British) possess a playful elegance, and the tunes cover unheralded territories like feminine werewolves, tongue-in-cheek odes towards the British countryside, and meditative contemplations of character. Certainly Kahondo Style had been comparable to small else happening after that (or since), though obtaining their albums in THE UNITED STATES is a difficult task.