Mugstar, one of Liverpools preeminent sound machines, bigger than you’d think, after 20 plus years of making noise that is defined by making music ‘that we like’ and not what should be popular. They’ve made no compromises during their long illustrious career that has taken them across Europe and to the US of A. They’ve played as backing musicians on films and at art and dance festivals as well as music headlining festivals all over the world.
After their recent great release of a live album recorded a few years back collaborating with Can genius front-man Damo Suzuki (not a first time collaboration) at Liverpools Wrong Festival (probably in our opinion the best festivals we’ve ever attended), Mugstar release a new album - Graft.
From the off its heavy psych. ‘Deep is the Air’ sets the scene - and Mugstar paint sonic scenes. A slow introduction, haunting but ambivalent in what is about to follow. What is to follow is ‘Zeta Potential’, seven minutes of heavy drop dead psych glory. Riff laden and fascinating. It pounds away at you consciousness with drums from hell and guitars to match. Moments of out there, slow but fast build ups, chugging chord sequences interspersed with pulsing darkness fill the aural spectrum, soaring yet solid, not a beat out of place.
‘Cato’ jumps out as seemingly uplifting compared to the previous darkness, almost a hint of a traditional rock band in the structures but subverted by the Mugstar sound. It motors, the drums and guitar project forward taking the listener with them until the sharp abrupt end.
‘Ghost of a Ghost’ starts slowly, deliberate chimes and harmonics from the guitar slowly introduce some form of alien melody. It keeps its pace and builds a grandeur many bands would envy to emulate but within the Mugstar context sounds unstrained, as though the band are looking for musical answers to questions only they know. A long section of slow heavy drums accompanying a slow languorous lead guitar takes us to the tracks end providing space to think, space to explore. Space to listen. Before a final crescendo wipes all thought away and leaves the listener in another world.
‘Low Slow Horizon’ with its organ wail and low fuzzed up bass intro contrasts with the previous tracks whilst still staying Mugstar in its sound. There’s more than a hint of Sergio leone about it and the mesmerising drum pattern lets the slow build up on guitar with some additional synths fly free. A simple repetitive baseline underpins it all and gives scope to the sound.
‘Star Cage’ starts with a heavy bass and drum pattern that allows the guitar to explore musical horizons. The bass and drum lock in tight and lead the track. The guitar explodes with the changes as though a black hole had suddenly arrived in the albums midst and the track ends on a high with drums bass and guitar all hitting the same chunky riff, accelerating us to the albums end. Heavy as fuck.
Graft is a heavier album than we’ve heard from Mugstar (not that they are light) in a while. Mugstars use of space - one of their great musical gifts - is exemplary, this is a band that have been around but are still searching for musical answers and prepared to be creative to find them.
Words: RBY, Photos: RBY, Band Media
Bandcamp: https://mugstargraft.bandcamp.com/