Kahimi Karie - Once Upon a Time [EP]

All Music Guide

For her first EP in more than a year, Kahimi Karie teamed up with William Hart and Bill Doss of Olivia Tremor Control for five songs that took her in a more experimental direction than any other release. Fans of the group will recognize the writing and arrangements -- the abrupt breaks into different instrumentation, time signatures, and genres, all in the same song. Hart and Doss keep Karie's vocals in the lower registers, where she is still a waif, but intelligible. "Metaphors" and "Turtle Song" are the best tracks here, where the band really crackles with laid-back energy and Karie sounds in her element. At only five songs, it's a bit short, but nothing here is throwaway.

- Ted Mills, All Music Guide