Nokori

By the time they recorded Nokori, their final album, Doodles had been reduced to the duo of Akiko Terashima (now in Usurabi) on guitar and vocals, and Nao Shibata on drums and backing vocals. It was the perfect line-up for Terashima’s lovely songs of longing; by focusing in on the essence of her shapeshifting, slippery guitar playing, and Shibata’s streamlined drum tattoos, Terashima’s songs really shine here. The album was produced by Jojo Hiroshige of long-time noise legends Hijokaidan, doubtless as it was released on his record label Alchemy, but his production also brings a kind of ruffled clarity to the album – it’s not perfect, but it makes all the right moves in the right ways. It’s a great album of dream pop, woozy and sweet in equal measure.