Mukaizake - Unknown Knowns (Album)
After 2003’s lauded Mapping The Static, Mukaizake simply faded into nothing. There were no inter-band tensions; no egos or Cobain syndrome forcing the band to break up. They simply stopped making music. Before this unprecedented hiatus, the band lay down some tracks on a sunny long weekend in early 2004; it is these recordings that have set the base for Mukaizake’s new EP Unknown Knowns. Since then the songs have evolved, reworked over time, into an intricate artwork that could only be have been made over such an amount of time.
While channeling such indie favourites as My Morning Jacket, Mogwai and Death Cab For Cute, an elaborate combination of strong guitar pieces, airy vocals and subtle, yet essential drumbeats is presented. Opener The Yeah Conditioner draws us into a mesmerised state with a layered opening, maintaining this condition throughout the entire piece. Rule Norse knocks us out with driving rhythm; only for Geoffery Symons reel us back in with his wispy vocals. After a fast paced opening, the band slows things down a bit with Corporal Steam, drawing us into a blank eyed stare, clouding the mind with layered guitar dabbles and dreamy “ah’s” (courtesy of drummer Michael Lake). Frisbee captures Death Cab in more ways than one, whilst MMJ can most definitely be heard in the ambling My Friend Flicker. The real masterpiece of this little EP is in the finale, Slack Bees; a choir of defeated urgency is presented through the combined vocals of the band and dreamy harmonics echo five years of hard work, rework and more hard work. It’s a pity it’s only two and a half minutes long.
This is all well and good isn’t it? Mukaizake have produced a nice little EP for us. Fact. But I can’t help but feel that the influences that they draw on are a little too obvious. Whilst combining and replicating the influences of great musicians, they have prevented themselves from fully creating their own sound. However, this is not a bad thing, Mukaizake is extremely capable of great things, and Unknown Knowns will propel them into the land of exposure and radio play that will help them do this. So I propose a Christmas toast, to Mukaizake, a band on the cusp of creating their own sound, let’s just hope that it doesn’t take another five years.
