Nani Nani Album Reviews | Billboard.com

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AMG Review

John Zorn and Yamantaka Eye are definitely twins separated at birth. Their duo album Nani Nani is like one big happy family reunion, where the boys no one understands can finally run off into the sunset, cackling madly. Never before have two musicians been brought together to create such gleeful oddness; a few miracles result. Eye screams and it sounds trance-like and soothing. Zorn throws bits from surf music, film scores, and psychedelia like a kid who tosses candy into a basket, and it all comes out as a whole. The chaos of animals is heard in the background; still, everyone seems to get out alive. Yamantaka Eye is credited for playing the "toys" but in reality both musicians play them. Tracks like "Propolution," while sounding aggressive and harsh, betray an undercurrent of pure pleasure. This album is not for Sunday afternoon relaxation, but its obvious playfulness make its more discordant elements eminently tolerable, even amusing in their cleverness. ~ Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide