Mouse On Mars
Glam
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Mouse On Mars
Glam
Tokuma (Japan), 1998
RiYL: Oval, Tortoise, Autechre |
On Glam, a 12-inch vinyl release, Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner depart from the mostly danceable sound created on 1997's Autoditacker, and dive head-first into the surreal. The intricate textural rhythms found on the band's other releases have not disappeared, but don't expect Glam to pack the dance floors.
Dissecting individual cuts from the LP is nearly impossible. Glam's 12 tracks, six on each side, have fluid continuity. Each 20-minute side is a sonic journey, quickly morphing from standard drum-and-bass to lo-fi distortion and analog whirls and blips. The end product and overall theme remain very mellow compared to past recordings.
Mouse On Mars remains unique among the electronic community by deviating from the same overused breakbeats and bass patterns found in today's techno. By running all of their equipment through a Moog module, the group creates beats that sound more like the squeak of a mouse, the soundtrack to "Tron" or the beeps and pops heard in Pac-Man arcade music than in a drum machine. You could say that the group's sound heavily reflects its moniker. On "Mood Leck Backlash," the band adds a subtle slide guitar into a mix of AM radio fuzz and intermittent analog beats to create a sound that hints at Tortoise or Oval.
With Glam, Mouse on Mars is moving closer and closer to the abstract sounds of Oval (Markus Popp), another German artist whose music closely resembles the sound computers make while rebooting. This should come as no surprise, since Werner frequently teams with Popp in his side project Microstoria.
JOSH CLIFTON |