Kikagaku Moyo

Gypsy Davey b/w Mushi No Uta

scum stats: limited to 1000 copies, blue vinyl, not in stores now, find this second-hand you johnny come lately

I’ve never been able to “get” into Joni Mitchell. Mom was never playing that shit in the house growing up, outside of “Big Yellow Taxi” I never even really heard any of it, I feel a little bad for her at Isle of Wight, but other than her brief stint living in a cursed Detroit apartment building, she don’t show up on my radar.

But hearing Kikagaku Moyo and their approximation of Fotheringay’s “Gypsy Davey”, which in and of itself is a re-think on “Black Jack Davey” and I can see a little thread of light that might be my entry into the world of Joni, Sandy Denny and whomever else in their orbit I’ve not made time for in the past.

“Davey" specifically features guest vocals from “Bells” (is this a long-lost member of Animal Collective?) also known as Kandice Holmes. How indicative it is of the rest of KM’s material remains to be seen, but I am a-ok with digging deeper to find out. Tune is a rewarding listen.

B-side of “Mushi No Uta” or “My Son’s Song” as Google translate claims, is both lullaby lush and achingly austere at the same time. Is that even possible? This thing on loop would put my 1-year-old to sleep in no time. In the meantime, those stories on the Moshi Twilight app are getting the job done.

Decades in, the Sub Pop Singles Club is still opening my eyes to previously unheard gems. God bless ‘em.