Spezmodia EP
10 January 2014
Monkeytown
3.5 stars out of 5
I’m a sucker for any city that can boast an umlaut in its
name; therefore, hailing from Köln and Düsseldorf, the duo Mouse on Mars scores
extra points right from the start. On the new Spezmodia, the German pair have poured an entire bottle of analogue
bubblebath into the hot tub and turned the jets up to max. Over five too-short
tracks the Meeces take us on a trip down ‘90s electronica memory lane. Touching
on gabba, happy hardcore, and glitch, the EP is pure nostalgic IDM fun.
The lead-off track, “Bakerman Is Breaking Bad,” would be
right at home on an early ‘90s AFX release (or perhaps on Aphex Twin’s Donkey Rhubarb EP). Other tracks, such
as “Creme Theme” and the title track, recall the duo’s heyday period circa Iaora Tahiti, though “Spezmodia” steers
straight toward the dance floor, unlike Tahiti ’s more introspective
beats. The playful “Migmy,” full of retro-sounding drum machine and clipped
vocal samples, might easily be included on a mid-‘80s Art of Noise record, and that’s
perfectly okay with me.
If I had a complaint about this EP it would be just that –
it's an EP, and as such it feels incomplete and somewhat less than unified. Taken
individually, the tracks are great fun, full of the playfulness and detail that
helped garner Mouse on Mars the following they enjoy today. As a whole, Spezmodia leaves the listener
unfulfilled, demanding more, waiting for the next full LP to appear and end the
longing.
No comments:
Post a Comment