Review of Mouse on Mars - Vulvaland
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Its difficult to categorize Mouse on Mars into a specific electronica sub-genre. Starting out in 1994 with the release of their debut album, Vulvaland, the German duo has gone on to release nine albums over their twelve year existence. Over the years Mouse on Mars have covered umpteen genres including ambient, trip-hop, krautrock, jazz, dub, funk, and house. With that said Vulvaland is the duos most sublime and downbeat album that they have ever released. Unlike later Mouse on Mars albums Vulvaland focuses on slick, cushy beats and glossy keyboard overdubs. Tracks such as Eli Im Wunderland and Die seele von Brian Wilson are perfect examples, featuring consistent, soothing beats over relaxing overtones. Although a lot of electronic artists tend to get overly repetitious Mouse on Mars throw in some odd samples (most notably the African vocals on Future Dub) and offbeat melodies to keep my interest. For the most part every song starts off with either a pleasant beat or a warm, comfortable synth melody As the song progresses warm backing synths crawl their way into each piece and eventually combine to create a truly hypnotic sound. One thing that caught my attention quickly was how ethereal the production was. Even the upbeat, almost danceable drum rhythm featured on Uah is backed up beautifully by an array of sparkling keyboard notes. Nearly every track on Vulvaland is centered around a relaxing melody, and although the music is repetitive its challenging not to sit back and soak in the calm, vaporous atmosphere of the music. The only gloominess found on the album is revealed with the closing number Katang which is propelled by eerie swirling effects and odd noises that sound like pigs on cocaine. Although some listeners know Mouse on Mars as an odd two-piece glitch duo, their debut album is an extremely airy album containing a slue of ambient influences. Many downbeat electronica albums get tedious after a couple of listens yet Vulvaland sounds so fresh and soothing every time I listen to it. It may not be an evocative or particularly interesting listen but theres something about Vulvaland that always keeps me coming back for more.
By Chris Jackson
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