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February 15, 2005
Review: Mu - Out of Breach (Manchester's Revenge)
Here at greenideas, we feel duty-bound to warn our readers of a grave injustice being perpetrated on the record-buying public. Contrary to appearances, Out of Breach, the new Mu record, is not a dance record. Due to it's makers' Manchester pedigrees, many unsuspecting listeners will, at great personal peril, mistake this new collection of frankenbeats as a pret-a-danser club record. That's the kind of rookie mistake that's bound to leave you missing body parts--parts that you need.
On the one hand, Out of Breach is a continuation of the apocalyptic disco meltdown of 2003's Afro Finger & Gel. However, the new record sees the Divine Ms. Mu and husband/beat-maker/sonic terrorist, Maurice Fulton, sharpening their focus considerably. Whereas AF & G was all over the map, with jackbooted industrial stomps turning on a dime into straight-ahead club tracks, Out of Breach is pretty consistent as a creative reimagining of history in which Cibo Matto recorded Planet Rock in Hell. Also, sometimes, there's a timpani.
The record really doesn't waste much time at the beginning before declaring its intent to eat your children. Sure enough, on "Haters," the opener, Mu (nee Mutsumi Kanamori) provides a laundry list of people she intends to kill. That pretty much sets the tone for the unrelenting hatefuck that is Out of Breach. Okay, there are a couple of spots where Mu stops barking, and Fulton cools off the beats; There's one genuine ambient spot somewhere in there, and one or two quick strolls down memory lane into Mille Plateaux territory. But once you catch your breath long enough to recognize your surroundings, Mu's got you by the throat again.
One song is about Michael Jackson, and one is about Paris Hilton. We thought you should know that.
Lest there be any confusion, everything we've said up to this point was meant as an inducement for you to buy this record. Just be warned: this is the least dance-y record that you'll ever want to dance your fucking ass off to. But be careful, this one's a monster.
Posted by matt at February 15, 2005 11:08 AM
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