Taiga - OOIOO
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
view
per page
  1. All Music Guide
    90
    Their inspired, eclectic mix of sounds and textures is always playful, but Taiga's powerful playing and sophisticated arrangements make it OOIOO's most mature album yet.
  2. PopMatters
    90
    I’m not saying this is the easiest music to deal with; those with more vanilla tastes will not want to come anywhere near this. But for avant-garde multi-genre music from Japan, it’s awfully cuddly and adorable.
  3. cokemachineglow
    86
    All of its tracks are kila kila killer.
  4. Uncut
    80
    Effortlessly ambitious. [Oct 2006, p.119]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Stylus Magazine
    75
    The language barrier and discord makes the record incomprehensible, but nearly everything is still as intoxicating and entertaining as hell.
  6. Dusted Magazine
    70
    Mostly Taiga is about sensation, playful and wild and smart but moving way too fast for contemplation.
  7. Lost At Sea
    70
    Taiga is a surprisingly approachable album.
  8. Spin
    60
    What's so brilliant about ['Taiga'] is how Yoshimi finds spiritual connections between unlikely genres. [Oct 2006, p.102]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. Pitchfork
    48
    Taiga is OOIOO's broadest, busiest, and furthest reaching album to date. Strangely, those same characteristics ruin it.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. hydrawithears
    8
    The title of this album might suggest some cold ambient territory but you could not get more wrong. Think of Hokkaido in winter and four crazy Japanese girls dancing and chanting on the frozen lakeside. Fronted by Yoshimi P-We, OOIOO move on a thin ice of psychedelia, experimental and tribal. All tracks have strange acronym titles, impenetrable to decipher. The brilliant opener UMA would be a primordial hymn from ancient times if it did not end with a power drill sound (more oddly, it is still awesome). UJA is the witch doctorâ… Full Review »
  2. matta
    7
    Definitely not for all tastes, but there is something incredibly hypnotic and strangely beautiful about this album. In my opinion, this is better than any boredom's album I've heard and even slightly better than the only other OOIOO album I've heard, Gold And Green. If you're feeling adventurous and want something completely different, look no further than this album.… Full Review »
  3. LeoF
    10
    Taiga means big river in japanese and forest in russian, and this is kinda how this album sounds like: raw, organic, powerful. OOIOO's best album yet and one of the best releases of 2006.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »