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Mice Parade: Mokoondi
ByThe combination of fluid improvisation with studio textures helps define Mokoondi as post-rock, though one has the sense that Pierce is not interested in definitions. His work on the cheng (a Chinese harp akin to a zither), for example, eludes categorization. At times percussive, at others melodic, he artfully stretches the possibilities (and the strings) of this unusual instrument.
Notably, Mice Parade defies the most common pitfall associated with studio-enhanced improvisation: perfectionism. Pierce prefers to take the notes as they come, building them into an organic wholerather than getting everything "just right." As a result, Mokoondi has an authentic, home-made flavor. One can hear the personal character of each cymbal hit or pluck of the chengmicrotonal variation, attack, and all. The vocals are not always in perfect tune, but it doesn't really matter. The groove maintains over-riding authority on Mokoondi, though all the parts that fit together to form it retain their own personal character. Occasional improvised drum duets offer a hint at the possibilities available to the expanded Mice Parade in live performance, where post-rock drumming master Doug Scharin joins forces with Pierce to deliver polyrhythmic energy.
Track Listing
Open Air Dance; Into the Freedom World; Circle 1; Pursuant to the Vibe; Mokoondi; Ramda's Focus; Circle 2; The Castaway Team; Man on the Beach in Brasil.
Personnel
Adam Pierce: drums, cheng, moog, rhodes, guitars, synth, vibes, saxophone, cymbalom, dulcimer, marimbas; Carlo Cennamo: saxophone; Dorothea Tachler: violin, voice; Doug Scharin: drum and guitar loops; Marc Wolf: guitar; Dylan Cristy: vibes; Herman Wright: saxophone; Helen Ann Shea: gourd rattle, guitar; Tyler Pistilli: vibes.
Album information
Title: Mokoondi | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Bubble Core