For someone who had to sell sex for three months in order to wriggle free from the ideological chains of Toyohashi, Japan, I'd say Mutsumi Kanamori is doing pretty damn good. Mu, which apparently refers both to Mutsumi and the duo of Mutsumi and her husband Maurice Fulton, have released their second album, Out of Breach (Manchester's Revenge). Similar to their debut, Afro Finger and Gel, Out of Breach treads sonic territory that Maurice aptly defines as punk music you can dance to. But this is far from the insipid "dance-punk" types that grace your city's alternative music rag, and it's even further from the kind of experimental music that tries so hard to avoid rhythm and melody to be labeled as such. If anything, this album is best compared to the aesthetic of hip-hop, where allusions to universality and transcendence are simply non-existent, and what we are left with is content that will be dated within months.
But that's the beauty of this album. Art, after all, should be transient. Rather than trying to craft an album that stands the test of time or that's so experimental it can only be understood through musicologist jargon, Mu has instead written an album that finds drunk people dancing to hilarious Vodka conversations ("We Love Guys Named Luke") and indecipherable vocals from the executive and legislative branches of hell ("Out of Breach"). Primarily dedicated to all "the haters" in Mu's world, Mutsumi references everyone from Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson, and The Rapture's Luke Jenner, to the "bitches" who hid her tampon backstage and stole her money on eBay. But as Mutsumi affirms, the hatred on the album is mainly directed toward Tigersushi head Charles Hagelsteen, who not coincidentally released Afro Finger and Gel (c.f. "Tiger Bastard"). And the profanity. Oh god, the profanity.
Although a handful of tracks sound a bit too similar to those from Afro Finger and Gel ("Stop Bothering Michael Jackson"/"Afro Finger"; "Tiger Bastard"/"Chair Girl"; "I'm Coming to Get You"/"I Hate U"), Out of Breach manages to hold its own. Aside from the even more time-specific lyrics, the album is noticeably less refined. This time around, principle songwriter Maurice opts for a relatively simplistic approach, eschewing intricacy for a raw, spatial feel. And while Mutsumi's English shows no sign of improvement, she has continued to push her vocal experiments to absurd proportions (in the best possible sense). Opening track "Haters," for example, features Mutsumi caterwauling like a witch over a head-nodding beat, often distorting the track by yelling so loudly (and closely) into the mic. It's so penetrating you want to file for rape.
To be fair, the mood-shifting of "I'm Coming to Get You" and the cute synths of "Like a Little Bitch" wear out their charm after a number of listens, and the overall quality, especially in the latter half, never quite reaches the consistency of Afro Finger and Gel. But the negatives are overshadowed by the positives. Besides, Out of Breach doesn't seem preoccupied with being that one pivotal album that everyone must own. It's about the now, the present, a transient social commentary that says much more than bombastic, self-conscious releases that just try too damn hard to be something special. It's a fucked-up dance album that can only be justly compared to previous works, and to extend it into the abstract or philosophical without acknowledging the absurdity is only to damage it. Indeed, any time an experimental album can wrestle you out of your aesthetic-contemplation-for-those-with-the-leisure-time state is something you should hold on to with dear life. So c'mon everybody: Move your body-body! Shake your body-body! Welcome to Mu world, bitch!
1. Haters
2. Out Of Breach
3. Stop Bothering Michael Jackson
4. Tigerbastard
5. We Love Guys Named Luke
6. Throwing Up
7. So Week People
8. Paris Hilton
9. I'm Coming To Get You
10. Like A Little Bitch
11. Extreme