I am just back from breakfast out
with Sheila and a small shop, during which I picked up some interesting beers
and one of the few Okkervil River albums I was missing. I’m quite excited about experiencing them
both.
Disc 454 is… Eureka
Artist: Mother
Mother
Year of Release: 2011
What’s up with the Cover? Is it a tiger, a lion or a Technicolor liger? Who cares – I find the excess use of colour
to create a party vibe too artificial for my tastes.
How I Came To Know It: Our friends Joel and Sherylyn introduced us to
Mother Mother, when they bought me the previous album for my birthday (O My
Heart – reviewed back at Disc 167).
Joel and Sherylyn have since moved to Vancouver and we miss them around
the place!
How It Stacks Up: We have three Mother Mother albums. Of the three, I put Eureka third. I still enjoy it, but I don’t think it has
the range either musically or lyrically of the other two.
Rating: 3 stars
I think
every pop band should take their turn at writing a dance album. After all, dancing is a big part of pop music
and why shouldn’t we lighten up once in a while and focus giving our booties a
good shake about the place?
“Eureka”
is Mother Mother’s dance album, where they turn up the disco and turn down the
indie. The result is something in
between Cake and Scissor Sisters, probably a little closer to the latter.
Fortunately
I like Scissor Sisters, and “Eureka” has the same fun, seemingly effortless
grooves that had me lasciviously swinging my hips around on more than one
occasion (albeit principally in the relative privacy of my living room or the
building’s elevator).
Lead
singer Ryan Guldemond has an airy, lighthearted voice that is well suited to
the silly but catchy songs that populate “Eureka” and the background cooing of
sister Molly and (distractingly hot) keyboardist Jasmin Parkin are the perfect
offset to the music. This is an album
that makes you want to call up friends and go and hit the nightclub scene.
The best
song on the record is “The Stand” a
playful song featuring ‘women who straddle’
‘paradise spread out with a butter knife’
and ‘vodka on ice’ the latter
tastefully accompanied by hearing the cubes clinking into a tumbler. The song is filled with synthesizer tracks
that would be equally at home in 1977 or 1987, proving that catchy head-bobbers
like this song are really timeless.
I also
like “Original Spin” which starts
with a flamenco guitar riff that reminded me strongly of a similar guitar in Leonard
Cohen’s song “Teachers.” The similarities
end there, however, as Mother Mother launch into a whimsical look at the Earth,
as a planet floating through space so insignificant, yet unique and
beautiful. Jamiroquai would be proud how
the band combines a whimsical look at the cosmos with unifying notions of how
we’re all down here working it out as one people, spinning together. Not exactly as deep as “Teachers” but it has its moments, and is way more upbeat.
For all
the fun I had on this record, there are only a few songs that really stand out. The others are great for establishing a party
mood, but nothing to really write home about when given a closer inspection.
Also
lyrically the songs are fun and catchy, but ultimately empty of much deep
meaning. I don’t hold this against “Eureka”
– it is dance music after all – but I also can’t deny I often look for more interesting
topics on at least a few of the songs on a record.
I
recently bought Sheila Mother Mother’s new album, “The Sticks” for her
birthday, and I gave it a quick listen before writing this review. “The Sticks” returns to their more unique
indie sound, similar to “O My Heart” although a bit more polished. It reminded me that while I like working my middle
aged white man’s overbite on the dance floor as much as anyone, I prefer Mother
Mother when they tone it down a bit.
Despite
some misgivings, I can’t deny that “Eureka” is a great time, and a well written
record. It doesn’t pull on my heart
strings but it gets me out of my chair and puts a smile on my face, and
sometimes that’s all you need.
Best tracks: The Stand, Original Spin, Problems.
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