Search - Mouse on Mars :: Autoditacker

Is this evolution for Mouse on Mars?

portis@roadrunner.nf.net | St. John's, NF, Canada | 01/08/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Released in 1997, Autoditacker represents Mouse on Mars further stretching their electronic prowess, incorporating many different textures, patterns and ideas into this 60+ minute release. A little more light and carefree on some tracks compared to the mostly moody Iaora Tahiti, but this doesn't always work as some of the semi-cheesy sounds are also the least interesting as on Twift Shoeblade and Dark FX. There's also some real gems on this one, the magnificent 'Maggot Hell Wigs' which incorporates xylophone style tones with quite excellent drum loops and catchy bass. It's quite an intriguing listen. Then there's the bubble beat head-bob of 'Schnick Schnack Meltmade' and it has other solid contributions like X-Flies and the solid moody track 'Rondio'.Not quite as consistently good as Iaora Tahiti, but it involves a lot of busy programming and culmination of many different samples and snippets. There's great high-end tracks on this release and it shouldn't be missed."

Cold yet warm, precise yet random

bowery boy | seattle | 02/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Far superior to iaora tahiti, autoditacker is cold yet warm, precise yet random all at the same time. Not drifty orbesque dub like vulvaland, not as experimental as later works, it's simply perfect. An excellent starting point for those new to MoM. Stylistically the songs are all over the board, funky gems are next to ambient soundscapes followed by thumping `house' but as a whole it all comes together wonderfully.I like the down, dirty and nasty funk of `dark fx' with that weird pulsating percussion and those vocals in the background that sound like Yoko Ono on helium. When MoM wants to get funky, boy do they ever!

'schnick schnack meltmade'is pure Detroit techno. Minimal stripped down beats, simple bassline, lovely vocals (done by none other than Laetitia Sadier of stereolab) and a trance groove before closing with a sadly beautiful steel drum melody. This a remix of sorts from the cache coeur naif EP MoM did w/ the girls from stereolab during their stint producing three tracks for steroelab's supreme 'dots & loops'. I haven't heard cache... yet but there's a song on it called schnick schnack and the samples offered here are identical.'rondio' sounds like something I could imagine bjork singing over. Dark and haunting yet always beautiful.'sehnsud' meanders endlessly for six minutes without coming together as a whole. It's a lovely trip but definitely is not a strong track.'x-files' and 'tux & damask' remind me of early autechre back in the day when they still incorporated beautiful melodies within their sonic soundscapes.'maggots hell wigs' is MoM at their best. A squeeky noise like a squeeze toy gone awry, skipped drumbeats and one of the most gorgeous and dreamy melodies I've ever heard. A perfect track and a perfect close to the perfect MoM disc. When these guys want to, they can be the masters of the perfect melody.this is one of those rare discs where nearly every track is a shining gem. A must have."

Enjoyable playful organic electronica

G. Wachman | Minneapolis, MN United States | 06/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mouse on Mars is a refreshing breath of air in the electronica community. They employ rich, organic atmospheres in contrast to the cold unearthly soundscapes of Autechre and other "IDM" artists. "Autoditacker" is largely beat and melody oriented. Sometimes it seams like the melody noises are little animals singing. This is a solidly enjoyable album that is perhaps more mature than its predecessor, "Iaora Tahiti" (also a good album). I really recommend it to anyone who is a fan of that album or is new to Mouse on Mars."