After the technicolor depress-a-fest that was Ta-Ku‘s last EP, Songs To Break Up To, Ta-Ku returns with the more upbeat, Songs To Make Up To.
The set kicks off on a sombre note, with ‘Hopeful‘, carrying the mood over from the previous ‘Break Up‘ set. After an almost ethereal opening, a subtle beat kicks in near the close of the track, perfectly setting up ‘Love Again‘ featuring the talents of JMSN and Sango to deliver the sound of the EP. Now if you’re going to make a project based around relationships it’s kind of no brainer that you get JMSN. JMSN puts his usual unbelievably high emotional vocals to the backseat and delivers a more subtle performance here. It’s still massively affective and in a single track sets itself apart as the more positive twin to the ‘Break Up’ EP.
The set doesn’t try to ram the positive feel home though. This isn’t simply ‘Now we’re making up everything is good’. Songs like ‘Trust Me‘ feature no vocals but tell a story. It creates the images of a couple discussing the reasons for a break up and the reassurances that whatever caused the break up won’t happen again.
The title alone changes the feel of some of the songs. ‘Long Time No See‘ starts off with a sombre piano and carries the mood. If this were on ‘Break Up‘ it would surely signal the end of a relationship; whereas here it feels like the long, slow journey to reconciliation. As the EP progresses the sounds Ta-Ku uses become brighter and more hopeful. He combines this with the vocal performances to gradually build the narrative. ‘Fall4You‘ features Sunny Colón delivering a simple, yet telling refrain “I got what you wanted”. Ta-Ku says more with less and never attempts to hit you over the head with what he is trying to say. Instead he allows the listener to piece it altogether from the title, the sounds and the occasional lyric.
The set closes with ‘Work In Progress’, which could refer to the song being unfinished or even a line from a fictional discussion where one half tells the other they are a ‘work in progress‘ and are trying to improve themselves. Whatever it is, it isn’t enough and they are left to plead alone. The EP doesn’t culminate in the two parties coming back together but drifting apart.
Songs To Make Up To shows the ease with which Ta-Ku can communicate themes, thoughts and emotions without words. Ta-Ku manipulates the listener and allows them to fill in the gaps by projecting their own experiences onto the sounds. Ta-Ku‘s next project will have a fight on its hands to top this.
