Search - Mugison :: Little Trip

Muggi's son

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 03/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine a soundtrack to the beginning of spring, and you'll have some idea of what Mugison's latest sounds like. The one-man band is just dazzling in his fourth album "Little Trip," an atmospheric album of jumbled, rippling pop, blending jazz and chilly electronica with... just about everything else.



After a clattery, thumpy intro, Mugison goes full-tilt with "Go Blind," a hard-rock number that burns with sharp riffs, thudding drums, and an eerie little dialogue going on. "Hi girl, I love you/I don't think I love you back," he croons, before howling, "COME BACK! COME BACK!"



Not all the songs are that worked up. After that, Mugison trickles into the warm, languorous "Little Trip to Heaven," and a string of mellow Icelandic songs. String pop with a hint of guitar, gentle icy ballads with soaring vocals, simmering tribal beats, brassy ballads, and a slow bleating horn that fades out into a gentle, tinkly little song.



It's hard to put your finger on a specific "sound" for Mugison, since he always turns out a new twist while keeping the chilly, sunny sound intact in all his songs. And lest we get complacent, he also includes the odd moment of experimental music -- "Clip 10" is is a mad, frantic cluster of tribal beats, synth and jazzy horns.



The music itself is a whirl of different instruments -- earthy guitar, drums, blasts of brass, trickles of piano and delicate rippling synth, all woven into melodies both simple and wonderfully complex. And thei form all sorts of styles, with bits of jazz, hard rock, and the chilly prettiness of Icelandic pop. "Go Blind," for instance, is the best song Mew never made.



In fact, the music is so rich that Mugison's vocals and lyrics almost seem superfluous. But he does throw in some singing -- sometimes he croons in a high-pitched voice, and sometimes he drawls out in a raw voice. "I sold my soul just to look you in the eye/and tell you everything will be fine/go back and tell him goodbye..."



"Little Trip" sounds a lot like winter fading into spring, with a rock band to herald it in. And Mugison proves again his mastery of many kinds of music."