OK, so I know you’ve been waiting for a review of the new Mouthus record, The Long Salt. The Brooklyn duo has rightly received consistent praise on this page for their pummeling noise, pushed in all kinds of perverse but strangely pleasing directions. Of 2005’s Snow Globes, Jim Steed commented, “each chord a ray of heavily filtered-out sunlight, barely making it through to the band's subterranean headspace.” It’s been pretty hard to keep up – by my count, Mouthus have appeared on 9 releases since forming. They have also spread their tentacles wide, collaborating with such artists as Axolotl, Double Leopards, Valerie Allen and others.
The Long Salt comes with some anticipation as there is some serious hype about this group, and it follows the accolades of their last few records. As it turns out, it feels like a snowstorm in your head. And it is a particularly harsh one: unrelenting and, at times, physically exhausting. Unlike Snow Globes, a record that landed on the Wire’s top 50 of 2005, there are precious few breaks, moments to reflect. It will surely provoke less meticulous chin-rubbing, but rather some furrowed brows.
Highlight "The Burns of Them," with its tic-tock rhythms chiming under thick noise and trademark indiscernible chants, demonstrates why Mouthus is making some of the most interesting music around. Add this to your collection, and look out future generations.
