Mice Parade
What It Means To Be Left-Handed

The Mice Parade are a clear example of how the oenological equation can be musically transposed: the older the wine, the better it is.

You don't need to be a sommelier to appreciate their eight albums recorded in twelve years of career. The anagram of the talented percussionist front-man Adam Pierce has not only explored the most diverse genres and musical cultures (noise, ambient, post-rock, afro, latin, far east music...), he has above all managed to give a unique evocative flavor to his compositions.

In this “What it Means to be Left Handed” the Big Apple band picks up the thread of the previous self-titled work, characterized by the absolute freedom of movement within the musical universe.

It is precisely the absence of inhibitions that best represents this album. Mice Parade have here perfected the ability to create evasive melodies that defy conventions.

It is therefore not “only” the freedom to travel, in every sense, through music. It is also the ability to traverse with unpredictable grace through choral harmonies, intimate minimalisms, creative and mutable sounds, somehow familiar yet always curious.

The only constant of the group over the years seems to be Adam’s refined rhythmic foundation, at ease in all the genres tackled.

The first colorful postcard, “Kupanda”, arrives from the subequatorial Africa of the great lakes armed with festive guitars. “In Between Times” is in the sign of a Celtic folk-rock alternating dream-like sounds with choral rock. “Do Your Eyes See Sparkles” is a soft pop with a flamenco step, danceable yet nostalgic. The extreme emotional intensity of these opening tracks remains impressed also thanks to the subdued and poignant interpretation of the female voices.

“Couches & Carpets” moves in territories explored by Sufjan Stevens. “Recover” is divided into two parts: the first, shorter, is a prelude that recalls the acoustic of Death Cab For a Cutie; the second is a wonderful pop crescendo, worthy of the Stars of “Set Yourself On Fire”. “Old Hat” is a maze of arpeggios with a dark patina. “Mallo Cup” by the Lemonheads is the first of two covers, interpreted in a nostalgic-punk key à la Dinosaur Jr., while the subsequent “Even” recalls Dave Grohl’s post-grunge compositions.

Then it's time for two more postcards. The first, in the form of a whimsical ambient-pop, arrives from Japan: “Tokyo Late Night”. The second, “Fortune Of Folly”, bursts in from the Rio carnival and wants to fade into a convulsive shoegazing, only to resume the samba step at the photofinish. The final cover of “Mary Anne” (Tom Brosseau) brings us back to the early Notwist, with the intensity of Grandaddy at the end.

It's funny to be surprised to find many references in an album like this. The peculiarity of Mice Parade is also this: knowing how to stylishly dose the diversity of melodies while shuffling the deck.

Where will the globe stop on the next turn?