Peace Out

posted in: Latin

Nikole Texidore grew up listening to her father, jazz percussionist J. Habao Texidor, tell stories about sharing the stage with Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, and Jimi Hendrix. It didn’t take long for that rich heritage to awaken Texidore’s own talents, which are considerable. NikTex is the product of those talents, a collaboration between Texidor and her musical partner, multi-instrumentalist Manjinder Benning. Together, the duo composes poppy, ethereal folk melodies flecked with jazz and Eastern influences. Red Guitar combines a lulling little guitar line with the scratch of guero and Texidore’s luminous, multi-tracked vocals for a jazzy, off-kilter melody. On This Too Will Pass a simple acoustic guitar line leads to a thicket of textures: running water, chirping birds, shaken percussion. NikTex are adept at braiding together different sounds, like on Pantyhose, which features tabla, muted synth sequences, guitar, and languorous, sleepy harmonies. Next stop: blissful oblivion.