After the uber-hyper "Actionist Respoke," I am not sure what to make
of the hodge-podge of Idiology. This is not their best record.
It lacks the coherence of the last couple of records. But, then, its kind
of stupid to say that a Mouse on Mars record is incoherent. After all,
this is a band whose songs come together in accidental intersections--it's
supposed to be incoherent. I suppose it's not an effective incoherence.
The overall tone is uneven and the weaker tracks bring the record to a
stop. There is the feeling that maybe they are trying to move in a more
warm, lyrical direction, but they are not quite there yet.
The good stuff is really good, like "Actionist Respoke" and "Sequence,"
a low-key number, all clicks and rubbery bass, with a little playful piano.
It seems simple and mellow by Mouse on Mars standards, but when you listen
closely, the song really clips along and the clicks click in a bizarre
rhythm. And right about the time you figure this out, they jack up the
noise. "First : Break" is as crazy and complex as anything they've ever
done. "Doit" is by far the best song here, a super bouncy, syncopated
number that always makes me stop whatever I'm doing and start pogoing like
an idiot--it's total pop.
The inclusion of vocals does not help. On tracks like "Sequence" and
"Doit," where the vocals are mostly incidental, it's not so bad. However,
they have never been needed, and now that they are here, some songs are
toned down to allow space. "Presence" really lets the vocals take
precedence, and, though there are some cool sounds going on in the
background, the song really only gets good when the singing stops,
becoming a sticky mass of synthesized wind and brass instruments, drones,
and pulses. Other songs, like "The Ilking" and "Catching Butterflies
with Hands" are similarly under underdone, sounding like warmed over
retreads from Niun Niggung, moderately paced, heavy on the string
and brass samples.
Given the more mature and smooth direction of Niun Niggung, combined
with some of the stuff on Idiology, clearly signals that Mouse on
Mars are in a transition period (though the last track, "Fantastic
Analysis," with its meandering guitars and off-kilter singing synths,
sounds like they may have arrived). Fortunately, they are still as
inventive and creative as ever, and there are still the incredible
bursts of energy and a broad range of emotional color. This is far
from a bad record, but it can be hard to follow an artist down a path
that they themselves can't see clearly before them.
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