21 Again almost feels like a direct rejoinder to those worried speculations about a new direction by demonstrating that no matter what style or genre they try their hands at, Mouse on Mars will produce excellent, utterly unique and instantly recognizable music.
It has always been somewhat of an enigma as to why German duo Mouse on Mars are not, as their talents merit, a household name. Maybe chalk it up to North America’s long history of general resistance to electronic music, or their uniquely abrasive vocal sampling techniques and off kilter rhythms, but Mouse on Mars have always felt like a hidden gem that has no readily available reason for sidestepping the limelight. Few artists have combined quality and quantity at quite the same level: they have put out twelve full length albums over the course of their storied career and there is scant little filler or fluff to be found across those dozen releases.
To create some context for their latest release, the two disc collaborative effort 21 Again, it is necessary to retread the group’s recent history. Mouse on Mars generally disappeared from the scene for solid six years following their ninth album Varchaz, leading many to wonder if the duo was calling it quits or looking to explore other projects. Seeing as their previous release, Radical Connector, is considered by many to be one of the greatest electronic music albums ever conceived, some started to worry that the high tide had passed. In 2012 they came back with unbridled enthusiasm, dispelling all rumors of demise by releasing both the wonderfully complex Parastrophics and the more club orientated WOW in the same year. While the former album was by all accounts a continuation of the group’s sound, the latter was perhaps the most strident departure in style the group has ever exhibited. From the tom drops to the pitch crescendos right down to the cheeky three letter naming convention of the song titles, many considered WOW to be the group’s take on modern trends and perhaps a complete change in direction for their future. Needless to say, the course of the duo seemed to be as up in the air as it did during their years of relative silence.
21 Again almost feels like a direct rejoinder to those worried speculations about a new direction by demonstrating that no matter what style or genre they try their hands at, Mouse on Mars will produce excellent, utterly unique and instantly recognizable music. The duo celebrates their 21st birthday their traditional smirk laden attitude by including not twenty one but twenty three collaborative tracks, along with several tracks consisting of spoken word and brief snippets of music from which Mouse on Mars themselves are entirely absent. The range of genres contained in this release is diverse as the collection of guest artists. “Juice Clr 9” sees them fusing their brand of vocal sampling together with that of Machinedrum’s to superior effect as Stuart’s trademark relentless percussion rounds out the ensemble. On “Putty Tart” they team up with Canadian group Junior Boys to create a wondrous slab of dreamy synthpop, complete with synth power chords and arpeggios. The high point of the collection is perhaps the second movement of their track with Scratch Pet Land, “Splymogym.” Halfway through, there is a complete reversal as the saw synth disappears to make way for gorgeous ascending E-piano chords over a rippling Olivia Newton-John sample.
The most impressive feat here is that every single track contains the distinct signature of the group regardless of genre, even if it is as fleeting as a wonky drum transition or a small piece of reversed speech. This release demonstrates that Mouse on Mars’ Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner’s talents have become so attuned to each other over the past two decades of working together that they can pursue any manner of musical production and achieve resounding success.
21 Again is available on Monkeytown.
