ISHIBASHI - Pareidolia

"the tendency to perceive a specific,
often meaningful image in a random or
ambiguous visual pattern; to see shapes
or make pictures out of randomness."
Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O'Rourke
toured Europe for two weeks in
2023, a wonderful passage through
France, Switzerland, Italy and Ireland;
Pareidolia, the duo's fifth collaborative

release, is a remix made up of reso-
nances from those shows. The move-
ment of sound in each performance

and the relationships of sound between
them; a dynamic medley of color
and shape to pulse through earbuds,
speaker cones and the air immediately
surrounding you.

Improvisation is the preferred collabo-
rative mode for Eiko and Jim. They both

prepare separately, without discussing
anything beforehand. The dialogue in
the moment determines the performance; anything that takes place is a
possible point of departure, allowing for a unique experience each time
they play.
These 2023 shows marked the first time Jim and Eiko had played together
outside Japan. Perhaps the flow of parts unpacked from their respective
computers was inspired by the experiences of the tour: the nature of the

assembled audience, the quality of the meal on the day at hand. Addition-
ally, Eiko played flute and they both played a bit of harmonica intermittently

throughout the performances. These live acoustic signals were routed back
to the hard drives, to provide further material to play with-and as they

traveled, recordings of the previous nights' shows were among the materi-
als for the next performance. With all this to play with, there was much fun

to be had every night. Pareidolia's final mix is one further rearrangement
of the elements-comping-say, a bit of Jim from Paris against Eiko in
Dublin for a minute, before bringing them both back into the same room
for a spell before another set of interactions comes into play. The choices
and edits represented here make yet another unique dialogue, as well as
a kind of 'best' version of what they were doing on the tour.
For us at home, the sense of inevitability in the parts as they flow together
might suggest structure; happily, this occurs without Eiko and Jim really
committing to anything of the sort. Their available sound sources could
present as a hot-wired noise onslaught, with all faders up full. Endless
possible interpretations to be had on either side of the experience! This is
one of several ways that the LP title and sequence of song titles come into
play. Listeners hearing something more should have a good look in the
mirror and perhaps consider the old saying: "Just because you're paranoid
doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."
It could only help!

Vinyl release of Ishibashi, Eiko & Jim O'rourke - Pareidolia. Released through DRAG CITY and available on LP.