Velvet Grooves

At last people! Mice Parade is back! YEAH! - after a 2 year wait (not long I know, but I love the guy), Adam Pierce (Mice Parade is his anagram) is back with a new album. His first to be self-titled as well...

So following on from his previous albums, we still got the lovely multi-layered texture buildup from just him with his speedy acoustic. I mean, straight away we can tell it's Mice Parade we're listening to here. It's actually like an happiness rush from go! 'Sneaky Red' contains the usual multiayered guitars and drums which we so much love, but 'Tales Of Las Negras' seems to add some ambience to the journey, which I can't remember hearing from MP before. It creates this kind of airy eathereal sense. Meanwhile, the song structures are just as irregular as they usually can be, but yet this also feels highly accessible! It's still the folk-rock type stuff that we know, but occasionally we veer off into electronic passages which meld well with his normal instrumentation. All this along with the occasional kaleidoscope effect of his voice, and we're touching on something new here...

'Kristen Anna Valtýsdóttir' who used to be in Múm also makes an appearance, as with other albums. But the new collaborator here is Stereolab member Laetitia Sadier on 'Tales Of Las Nigras'. Nice. I don't think it matches Kristen's collab with Pierce on 'Double Dolphins On A Dime' though... just can't beat the pitch and element which she adds to the atmosphere in the song. GIves it a proper Icelandic feel when you couple that with the other instruments in there. Wonderful!

We also do have the intricate tracks on here as well, like from his previous efforts. 'CIrcle None' sounds more like 'Guitars For Plants' which was one of my favourites Obrigado Saudade. This is what I love most about MP - how he can craft such complex structures together, throw in some minor details for you to explore in time, and on your way you'll realise how good a musician he is!

So is this his best to date? Well, I'm not too sure. It's one of his most accessible, for sure, but I'm not sure I'm enjoying this as much as his previous output. Still, brilliant effort!