Fat-Cat Rec.
Mice Parade (US,2007)***°
I was at first a bit unprepaired for the style on the first four tracks of the album which showed an evolution towards 'alternative rock', with harder contrasts as before (compared to what I've heard on the previous release). This seemed at first going a bit out of reach of my personal scope of what I find attractive and inspirational. The fifth, more acoustic track has a Múm association and cooperation, and features Kristin Anna Valtysdottir on vocals, and shows from here fine guitars and thoughtful percussion, (glockenspiel,...). “Satchelaise” continues in this mode with acoustic guitar, soft percussion rhythmical travels with a song context, and with a second, louder and wilder arranged part, with 'chorus' vocals, and a small distorted guitar part. Also “Swing”, with lots of notes of acoustic and electric guitars is not far out of reach of this alternative moodiness, and also the short “Circle None”, sounds a bit like a variation of a similar arrangement, almost reaches towards a loud ambient sphere. The last, concluding track, “The Nights after Fiction” has another collection of interesting percussive ideas, mixed with slower moving acoustic guitars, until it breaks loose one last time into a song. After this second section, I could more easily throw my attention into the first songs of the album.
