Heartland

I wrote: I’ll admit to being somewhat sceptical about The Mumbles. Having seemingly spent more time in front of cameras than behind their instruments, one would be forgiven for thinking that nothing was happening. But you’ve got to start somewhere and image is as good a place as any, provided that you come up with the goods. And, with Another Shade / Slice of Black, Messrs Cowlin (Vocals) and Ward (Keyboards) apparently have.

Clocking in at 6 tracks and just shy of 20 minutes this is hardly an epic, though the sweeping keyboard arrangements show a glimmer of potential for something more grandiose. Unfortunately, the most delicate elements are lost beneath the apparent lack of production, not uncommon on such first outings. While the keyboards and vocals lose out to clipping and a fuzzy mix, the drum sound benefits quite noticeably from the lo-fi ambience, particularly where it’s more prominent in the arrangement.

Sweet Aurora (Taste my Blood) opens proceedings with the previously mentioned keyboard sweep before breaking into what could perhaps be a restrained take on Death in Vegas’ hauntingly danceable Contino Sessions era, overlaid with semi-spoken vocals and a call and response chorus which wouldn’t be out of place on a hip-hop record. As for the lyrics themselves, I’m a little uncertain. They fit with the rhythm undoubtedly, but coherency occasionally gives way to the compulsion to rhyme – personally I’m all or nothing, if they make sense, make them all make sense, if they don’t, then have fun with that rhyming dictionary. However, this is only personal preference and doesn’t detract from the first listening.

The pace picks up with Snow to Settle, a constant dissonant barrage which is not too dissimilar from an old Lorries LP played at 45. In terms of getting you moving, there’s nothing wrong – however much the “interesting� use [abuse?] of English grammar irks me, there’s no doubting the sheer momentum of this piece. At 2:38, it should be getting just short of tedious, but the occasional pause for breath goes some way to alleviating this. This will be a dance-floor filler – it’s just a case of keeping them interested once they’re up.

Having previously seen the video, I knew more or less what to expect from Corridor and certainly wasn’t disappointed. The instrumentation is tighter than the previous effort and the vocals are more coherent. Sadly, as one of the more delicate tracks, the song suffers at the hands of poor production, with buzzing and pops killing the intended mood. From a song writing point of view, the lyrics again seem gratuitous in places and would maybe benefit from a little polish – if it was easier to follow, this would certainly make a fine finale to any Goth set.

So, up until now, we’ve been dealing with original song writing, desperately trying to ignore the oblique hints thrown our way. Alas, no more. As Body Electric hits, you will, if you haven’t already, notice a rather explicit nod to a little known Yorkshire beat combo. While this slightly embellished arrangement loses much of the simplicity of the original recording, credit is due for Robert’s rather convincing impression of a certain Mr Taylor, around the time he was living above a chemist. Now imagine for a moment that this song was written 5 years down the line from its actual release. Given such circumstances, this would be a fine rendition – the keyboard line has an unmistakably Floodland feel to it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t and I can’t help but wonder if they might be missing the point. Each to their own, it’s a fine interpretation.

Seven Nails has something of a hollow ambience to it, quite bare and simplistic in light of the previous tracks, but still retains the incessant pounding drums and harassed vocals. The vocal melody does fizzle out in places, which detracts particularly from the piece, given the prominence of the lyrics, but set against the rough and ready backdrop it doesn’t seem so disastrous. Again, some variation wouldn’t go amiss, but the basic idea is very much there.

And so, with We Are The Same, Suzanne, this particular Slice of Black draws to a close. Or rather, hobbles along the home straight. The keyboard intro is simply not tight enough, but that’s a limitation of the instrument itself. The arrangement is interesting in that the song has never been given a studio airing before (a cause of some controversy when the cover was first announced) so they are very much working blindly. And, with the exception of the keyboard bassline, it seems to work rather well and it doesn’t take a much suspension of disbelief to imagine some of the keyboard flourishes making it onto the final version (if indeed it is ever recorded by its original composers). The vocals are weak in places, due in part to the lack of distinction on the chorus at the live performances on which this rendition is based, but the overall feel, however far removed from the original, is a nice one.

After several listenings, the influences are quite obvious. As with every band finding their sound, there were moments when the intended idolisation does appear to spill over into the world of imitation. With more mature writing, tighter instrumentation and better gear, this will certainly turn into something beyond its current form. So maybe two covers of the same band on your first release isn’t very sensible and perhaps the record does leave you believing that the producer was AWOL. But you know what? It’s not half bad.

robertzombie wrote:OMG! I didn't expect such indepth reviews!

If it's alrite with you guys, then I'd love to put them on the site. Obviously I'll credit both of you, and the forum

robertzombie wrote:BTW, what's a "stroph"?

robertzombie wrote:OMG! I didn't expect such indepth reviews!

If it's alrite with you guys, then I'd love to put them on the site. Obviously I'll credit both of you, and the forum