Mother Mother
Eureka


5.0
classic

Review

by GulliKyro USER (8 Reviews)
March 16th, 2011 | 20 replies


Release Date: 2011 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Unique flavour triple distilled.

It may be a cliché but the old saying “Lightening in a bottle” can be a useful tool in a metaphor arsenal. It is at once visually evocative and absurd. Beware your intended target may begin to question the logistical challenges of lightening bottle catching, but you must be sure to slap them hard across the face and demand attention to be re-affixed on the shiny flitting light-show in front of them. This is the attitude one should take with the latest Mother Mother record to accord it its deserved label as an instant classic. Deviation will only spoil the experience and honestly who wishes to do this beyond the masochistic or cynical.

Previous devotees of the band will be well aware of their ping pong vocal exchanges from male to female members, all this backed up by a slightly unhinged backing section that seems to have arrived from a time warped 1973. Well to the initiated the following needs to be imparted. Mother Mother have taken their distinctive style and pumped it full of steroids. The smoothness of the vocal and tempo changes has become so seamless and rapid you’d swear it’s been set to an exhibition football match from Barcelona FC. Be it the mischievous first single “The Stand”, the ridiculously upbeat “Baby Don’t Dance” or the ominous “Oleander” the delivery from founding member Ryan Guldemond and relatively new recruit Jasmin Parkin comes off flawlessly. Indeed it’s hard to imagine Mother Mother before the addition of Parkin.

This does not mean you should fear that Mother Mother have become a safe homogenised indie rock outfit that the Canadian music scene appears to be able to spit out with frightening ease. The country banjo forays are still present as are the stabbing synth lines, and the strange vocal and sound samples still crop up. It’s just that on Eureka they are a pleasant addition and not a larger distraction.

If one had to criticise the bands previous efforts it was that the kooky offbeat style was on occasion too hectic and slapdash. It felt like it was being crazy simply for the sake of it, and even though the general strength of the group generally compensated it was a final hurdle they needed to clear before being taken seriously as top tier players. With Eureka they still sound like a rock group that have landed from another planet but that this time they brought proper amplifiers.

It’s simultaneously the best rock and the best pop record of 2011 thus far and it will take some beating to be dislodged from its perch.



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user ratings (75)
3.7
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Jash
March 16th 2011


4932 Comments


i dont think this band could ever put out a "classic" record but theyre still good. Review could use some work, not bad but it didnt exactly make me feel like i need this album or like you even liked it as much as the 5 suggests, which is an important thing to do if youre writing a 5 review for something

thebhoy
March 16th 2011


4460 Comments


Yeah I can never see this band putting out a classic record either. Mostly because they aren't that good.

DaveM
March 20th 2011


1 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

"Good" is what you like. If clever lyrics, solid instrumentation, unique hooks and harmonies are your thing, you're going to have a great time with 'Eureka.' Mother Mother have crafted a style and sound all their own. This third release will break them to the wider audience that should have discovered 'O My Heart,' another really inventive offering.

Irving
Emeritus
March 21st 2011


7496 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

The smoothness of the vocal and tempo changes has become so seamless and rapid you’d swear it’s been set to an exhibition football match from Barcelona FC.



lolwut?

Gyromania
March 21st 2011


37023 Comments


This... is kind of awkward.

pizzamachine
March 21st 2011


27140 Comments


Hahaha review tries *way* too hard to sound smart.

GulliKyro
March 22nd 2011


357 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Oh I always write like that no trying to hard involved. Tis rather shoddy with retrospect though banging it out in 10 minutes when bored doesn't help the flow, but sure one might as well try for a good write up or a bad one no in between needed.

lancebramsay
March 26th 2011


1585 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

METAPHOR ARSENAL!

Irving
Emeritus
April 1st 2011


7496 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Oh I always write like that no trying to hard involved. Tis rather shoddy with retrospect though banging it out in 10 minutes when bored doesn't help the flow, but sure one might as well try for a good write up or a bad one no in between needed.



Errr, what?

Aids
April 1st 2011


24512 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I didn't see that this got reviewed. I was planning on doing it, I was pretty much the only one hear who heard their last one at the time of my review.



Good to see this review sucks so my review will be the default haha.



I haven't heard the album yet but I would be surprised if it was a 5. I heard 7 of the songs live and they weren't nearly as good as the songs on O My Heart

GulliKyro
April 1st 2011


357 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Aaah tis quite easy to give a 5 when one considers music to be the cultural equivalent of Soul Calibur 4.



One could debate the erroneous path of engaging heavily in relativism when dealing with music but I consider it far fairer game then if somebody does it with cinema. Either way I've have a few enjoyable debates on it before although I doubt a sputnik reply box thing would facilitate another one that anybody would get anything useful out of.

Spec
June 14th 2011


39415 Comments


Seeing them with The Dudes this summer. Should be a lot of fun.

GulliKyro
August 1st 2011


357 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Still one of the best albums of the year by a country mile.

Irving
Emeritus
August 14th 2011


7496 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

This album is pretty awesome. "Oleander" and "Baby Don't Dance" have amazing hooks - particularly in the end of the latter.

GulliKyro
September 17th 2011


357 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

I knew you would be turned Irving! Good man I shall buy you a pint when you visit ireland.

Irving
Emeritus
September 17th 2011


7496 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I always liked this album man. But I'll still take you up on that pint offer ;)

thedearlydeparted
January 15th 2013


4 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I loved a lot of the songs on here, but as an album, I didn't quite connect with it.

JokineAugustus
February 7th 2013


10938 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I wouldn't say this is a 5, but there are quite a few good songs on here.

Lord(e)Po)))ts
September 20th 2015


70239 Comments


what is the song by these guys where the chorus lyrics are something along the lines of

"LA DE DA DE DA

LA DE DA DE DA

WHOA

LA DE DA DE DA

LA DE DA DE DA

YEAH"

this band was playing that song at the park by my house earlier today and it was the worst thing ever created by human hands since the dawn of time itself.

Orb
November 16th 2016


9343 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

sometimes i can jam to this sometimes i cant.



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