Otouto – ‘Sushi’

Otouto – ‘Sushi’ (mp3)

“I mistook a man eating sushi / for a man putting on a fake moustache.” So goes the opening line to this song by Melbourne three-piece Otouto, which is equally quirky in sound as it is in lyrical content. There’s just a thin guitar line, some plonking piano, pots-and-pans percussion and an acrobatic vocal melody. It’s ‘art pop’ in the same way as Architecture in Helsinki, invoking a similarly playful atmosphere in its minimalist yet unrestrained arrangement.

I heard this track a while back and it didn’t exactly warm to it, but when it crossed my radar just recently I was caught by its charms. Maybe give it a few spins if at first its kitchen sink vibe doesn’t grab you – there’s something to love in this track, perhaps it won’t take others as long to latch on to.

www.myspace.com/hazelbrownmusic (yes, that is the correct Myspace)