Gurun Gurun: "Yuki ~ Hawaiian Snowflake"

To new wave relics the Vapors, “Turning Japanese” meant a sex face song and a place on ’80s compilations forever. To Czech trio Gurun Gurun the words are a philosophy: their self-titled sophomore album is an attempt to fool fans they’re actually from deepest Tokyo. Using an elaborate mix of shamisen lutes, xylophones, and geisha vocals, Jára Tarnovski, Tomáš Knoflíček, and Federsel—all three of them European—sound so Far Eastern it’s a wonder they’re not hatching some intricate visa scam. And you thought only Sean Connery could cross borders this seamlessly!

Gurun Gurun is a whimsical tribute to Japan, expertly raised on decades of anime and documentaries about Battleship Island. Followers of international electronica might think Arovane nailed the impersonation market with faux-Japanese LP Lilies (2004), but Gurun Gurun have stolen the crown, with “Yuki ~ Hawaiian Snowflake” representing a high point in deception. It’s helped by actual Japanese vocalist Sawako, a veteran of the 12k collective, who transforms the track’s underlying white noise into far-flung, globe-trotting static. Knoflíček, Federsel, and Jára support her with pianos and broken toys, the result sounding like Björk trying to record without waking her kids up. Hard to believe this was genuinely recorded in Turkey.

If you want an westerner’s distillation of Japan into something beyond a noodle advert/collection of kung fu noises, or just like violins stretched till they sound similar to labradors, the Gurun Gurun sophomore might be for you. Also works as a wind chime.