I first saw Universal Errors when they opened up for OOIIOO at Osaka’s Club Quattro. The band does not have a singer, but even without vocals, they have an ability to pull you in and hold your attention with just the sheer beauty and tension of their music. The band was so good that night, that they threatened to steal the show from the headliners.
This band's sound smacks of free improvisation. Despite all that the word "free improvisation" conjures up, the hour-long musical masturbation jam-piece only the band-members themselves are bored with, Universal Errors is on the good side of this spectrum, with interesting experimentation in texture, beats, and tempo changes ala Tortoise or perhaps the Sea and Cake. And their debut album, aptly entitled "Tone Sketch in Polar Lights" is a carefully crafted and magical piece of musicianship. The hypnotic, weaving melodies of the guitar and bass, with their amazing drummer as the icing on the cake, makes them a welcome addition to the Osaka music scene.
SCENE: Osaka
GENRE: Indie Rock/Pop
WORKS:
Tone Sketch in Polar Lights Ummo Records, 2001
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