Kahimi Karie: K.K.K.K.K.

Kahimi Karie is a superstar in her native Japan, an icon of fashion with a little-girl voice. Close friends with Scottish songwriter Momus and musical collage artist Cornelius, Karie combines the former's appropriation of past styles with the latter's electro-pop instincts, filtering both through a voice that seems incapable of the irony of either. It's a fascinating combination, if sometimes more in theory than in practice. For example, it boggles the mind to think that an idol of Japanese teenage girls is singing Jimmy Cliff's anti-authoritarian anthem "The Harder They Come" (included on Karie's latest, K.K.K.K.K.) to the accompaniment of a decidedly un-reggae arrangement. The song itself, however, is merely pleasant. Still, there are far worse things to be than puzzlingly pleasant, and K.K.K.K.K. proves more consistently compelling in that respect than Karie's self-titled American debut. Its best moments come courtesy of Momus, who contributes words and music for the libidinous "What Are You Wearing" and "The Symphonies Of Beethoven," as well as the lyrics to "One Thousand 20th Century Chairs" (which pays homage to Beck) and "Harmony Korine." The latter hails the Gummo director's experimentation in opposition to tired, fading stars; what it fails to note is that Korine is more trendy than talented. Karie and her collaborators are both trendy and talented, but her albums have yet to display music of any real, lasting impact.