Cargo Records

Kabukimono

The second release from Los Angeles duo, Rainbow Arabia comes in the form of Kabukimono. This 7 track album features 5 new recordings and 2 remixes of classic tracks from their 2008 debut, The Basta. Recorded between a grueling tour schedule with fellow exotic spice beat-makers, Gang Gang Dance.

Real-life married couple, Danny and Tiffany Preston have kept busy digging up inspiration from Sublime Frequencies Compilations CDs and Neo-Gothic Subculture. Having just completed a full European tour in June they are sure to leave every space and concert hall dosed with their infectious dance beats. Musically, Rainbow Arabia work a pretty minimal setup. While the overall vibe stays in place, their means of execution requires many parts. The synth and drum machine workouts are certainly house-meets-tribal, but the menacing beats aren't what lend them their bones. What really sticks out are the serpentine guitar lines that slither their way through the music, sometimes taking on the shape of post-punk spikes, garage crunch, and Edge-like delay effects. That sort of guitar eclecticism is mirrored in turn by Tiffany Preston, whose yips, yaps, and prairie crows work well in the Rainbow Arabia's efforts to transport as much as immerse. An easy reference point would be Ponytail's whirling frontwoman Molly Siegel. While her vocal turns aren't nearly so easy to place stylistically, the two both hit high registers some might call distracting more than complimentary.