Tashaki Miyaki - Castaway

The Guardian 0

(Metropolis Records)
The LA band made their name with reworkings of classic songs, but their own work is far more intriguing

This Los Angeles band may be better known for their Bandcamp covers than their own songs. They take classics from the last century – I Only Have Eyes for You, Take My Breath Away – and drape them in the gauzy haze of 90s shoegaze. But where those English bands often dialled up the fuzz to hide their many technical limitations, Tashaki Miyaki are clearly a talented trio. Their latest self-written album sees them emerge a little more from the cocoon of reverb they’ve constructed, and it’s mostly rewarding, even if the songs sometimes hint at dad-friendly pastiches of less trammelled work by Slowdive or Lush.

Singer-drummer Paige Stark has a wonderfully languid delivery, with lapses into reticent murmuring, as if she can’t quite stand behind her own words yet. Still, the gently gorgeous orchestration on highlights such as Gone and Forget Me lingers on your ears. Add to that something surprising, like the subtle homage to Prince’s Beautiful Ones underpinning the title track, or the strung-out Sonic Youth feel of closer Good Times, and Tashaki Miyaki sound like a band slowly shifting from intriguing to important.