One of Cocco’s greatest strengths is her use of extremes. She understands that a powerful moment becomes all the more intense when paired with its opposite. Her recent albums are more consistent in mood, but 1998’s surreal-sounding Kumuiuta had her most deft contrast. The a capella lullaby “Chiisana Ame no Hi no Kuwamui” makes the …
Tag Archive: cocco
Dec 24
[vault review] Cocco: Bougainvillea
Cocco’s major debut single from 1997, “Count Down,” is a heavy monster of a song that threatens a man who spurned the singer-songwriter. An unsettling, ticking drumbeat gives way to grungy guitar explosions as Cocco details the ways she will beat up the traitor, leaving him licking her toes and begging for forgiveness. The song …
Dec 24
[review] Cocco: Cocco-san no Daidokoro CD
It’s getting harder to call Cocco just a musician. Though she’s been a jack-of-all-trades (and a master of them, too) for years, she increasingly splits her time between her writing, art and environmental activism. On top of that, she’s raising a child and overcoming ongoing mental illness. So it’s understandable that the Okinawan artist has …
Nov 22
[movie review] Daijoubu de aru you ni-Cocco Owaranai Tabi-
Dear Cocco, Last night I watched my copy of Daijoubu de aru you ni-Cocco Owaranai Tabi-, acclaimed director Hirokazu Koreeda’s documentary about your life during 2008’s Kira Kira tour, for the first time. Yes, I preordered the special edition and watched it despite barely understanding any of the Japanese. (Three years of Japanese classes were …
