“Woo woo (woa woa) woo woo woo woo
Bakada baa baa baka doo kaa
Bakada baa ba waa daa taa”
- “Pinwheel Herman,” Niun Niggung (2000)
“Ooooooo-pd (doo chh, doo chh, doo chh ch ch) ooooo gsh gsh gsh dgdgdgdggdggg”
- “Chartnok,” Varcharz (2006)
How else to describe the loopy sounds of Mouse on Mars? No help that the IDMers have changed their sound dramatically over the years, even doing a full prog-rock 180° for their live shows.
This year’s no different. For their upcoming LP Dimensional People, out April 13 on Thrill Jockey, the Berlin-based duo of Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma have teamed up with an assemblage of musicians like Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Bryce Dessner (The National), Zach Condon (Beirut), Spank Rock, Swamp Dogg, and others. Such unlikely eclecticism is the Mouse Way™, as is collaboration on a massive scale (see the 30 tracks on 21 Again Collaborations). The album was supposedly borne of “a spatial composition using object-based mixing technology that plays with possibilities of sonic design and collective musicianship.” Oh, and Chicago footwork.
Closest aligned to the ambient-leaning Glam, first single “Dimensional People Part III,” featuring Justin Vernon, speaks for its glitchy self. Fans of Bon Iver expecting a traditional approach will find Vernon’s voice merely used as a source to be fucked with à la Matmos. In other words, fans of Mouse on Mars will be pleased. Stream it via Spotify down below (and if you find any resemblance to Chicago footwork there, be sure to let me know):
Dimensional People Tracklisting:
01. Dimensional People Part I
02. Dimensional People Part II
03. Dimensional People Part III
04. Foul Mouth
05. Aviation
06. Parliament Of Aliens Part I
07. Daylight
08. Tear To My Eye
09. Parliament Of Aliens Part II
10. Parliament Of Aliens Part III
11. Résumé
12. Sidney In A Cup