Butter 08

Butter 08 is composed of New York's East Village uberhip: the women of Cibo Matto and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Russell Simins. Combining all their imaginative powers, the group creates works that dance merrily over endless musical terrain: Punk, Psychedelic, Lounge, funky Alt Dance and junkyard rock all coexist in a raucous approximation of peace. A rhythm section expertly propels quirky guitar figures and twisted keyboard lines and samples. The way Simins' and Miho Hatori's voices work against one another is also a real treat. His smooth and relaxed baritone provides perfect contrast to her wild and untamed wail; then suddenly he's screaming like an asylum escapee while she keeps things (relatively) in line. In some ways Butter 08 is hardly a revelation or a revolution -- the key players have already made their marks on the alternative community -- but it's definitely a whole lot of fun.