Search - Mouse on Mars :: Vulvaland

Exciting and unique debut

Thomas Aikin | San Diego, CA | 05/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mouse On Mars' first album "Vulvaland" sounds unlike any of their followup efforts. I think its also their best (though I haven't heard the vinyl-only and out-of-print "Instrumentals"). On "Vulvaland" Mouse on Mars seem focused on long hypnotic works rather than their more concise songs on "Iaora Tahiti" and "Audiotacker". Here, the songs often stretch out for nearly ten minutes, giving the album a surprinsignly unified feel. Much of the flow is probably due to the warm, fuzzy, soundscapes that MoM devises for each of the track. A lot of the sounds are vaguely reminiscent of record scratching or something associated with sand-paper. The whole record is soaked in this sound with bright tempos and a good vibe. It would make an effective porno soundtrack, really. However, I don't necessarily consider this album more accessible or less daring than other efforts. A lot of the sounds, especially the bizarrely fragmented vocal/dialogue snippets, and initially quite offsetting. As an example, the sixth track "die seele von brian wilson" supposedly has sampled vocals of the Beach Boy. Supposedly. My personal favorite tracks would be "Frosch" and "Chagrin" both are chock-full of the aforementioned sand-paper sounds and are quite 'ambient'. "Vulvaland" is a perfect album to background when studying, working, or surfing the net. Its also got enough going on for a rather intense listen experience. Because of excellence and chronology, "Vulvaland" is the ideal introduction to the world of Mouse On Mars."

Only for the completists or fans of the orb

bowery boy | seattle | 05/21/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is drifty, dreamy, dubby ambient music that washes over you and swirls around you like a warm cocoon of sound. If you didn't know it was MoM you would be hard pressed to tell that it wasn't a new release from the orb. That's what this sounds like, the orb. Lengthy dub filled soundscapes with the trademark melodies of MoM, the only consistent thread throughout all of their discs.Don't make the same mistake my friend eric did: as a diehard fan of the orb, I let him borrow this disc knowing that he would love it. He did and then proceed to purchase other MoM realeases and was very disappointed that NOTHING else by them sounds like this disc (Instrumentals comes pretty close). Not necessarily a good starting point for those new to the wonderful sounds of MoM (Iaora Tahiti is where to begin) but essential to those who are diehard fans of MoM.Frosch and Chagrin are my favorites. frosch for that weird squeeky sound that starts off the beat and I love the beautiful melody and the sad vocals of chagrin (hence the title, I guess). Good stuff."

Don't Remove the CD after Katang!

Doughnut | Planet Earth | 07/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love MOM and have been a fan for four years now. Frosch and UAH are my favorites, along with another thack that is hidden. After Katang, fast foreward to 15:45. You'll hear a quiet, just-above-ear-level ambient track that lasts about four minutes. Fast foreward again to 23:45, and you'll hear a very cool, very fast (and loud!) trance/techno track that lasts about six minutes. Suprising, since most of the songs on this disk are dreamy ambient! Happy dancing!"