Album Review: Cate Le Bon – Mug Museum
Welsh born singer Cate Timothy, aka Cate Le Bon, came to prominence after supporting Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals. Since then she has gone on to release two albums, lent her vocals to Manic Street Preachers, and released an entire EP in Welsh.
After moving to LA earlier this year, Le Bon began work on her third studio album, Mug Museum, produced by Noah Georgeson (whose previous credits include Devendra Banhart) and Josiah Steinbrick.
Opener, ‘I Can’t Help You’, entices listeners in with a circular, snappy guitar riff, while Le Bon’s vocal melody glides almost surreally. The chorus is injected with a dissonant wind section that adds humour to the whole thing.
In fact, a hypnagogic quality flows with fluidity through the first half of the album. On ‘Are You With Me Now’ a conventional structure dictates the form, while Le Bon woefully proclaims, “It’s not impossible/It’s not unfathomable/It’s not unusual, baby/To feel the shadow and cry.”
Similarly, ‘Duke’ initially feels safe, yet some production elements subtly take it to the experimental and surreal. The brilliant pre-chorus highlights Le Bon’s knack at drafting a snappy riff. However, her climactic, almost BjÃrk-ian screeches ruin a pleasant song.
On ‘No God’ the production delves deeper into its references. Le Bon duets with Perfume Genius on ‘I Think I Knew’, a piece of effervescent pop, similar to that of Serge Gainsbourg and Nico.
The problem with this first half is how bland it all becomes. Monotonous melodies and a lack of distinct variation in the production take Le Bon’s dreamy music and nearly puts you to sleep. While it isn’t bad, per se, it becomes boring.
The second half of the album changes direction, and the energy is picked up. Yet, it seems that Le Bon felt it necessary to conglomerate everything and throw it at her remaining songs.
‘Wild’ has a distasteful jejune quality, any humour lost at the complete racket being made. On both ‘Sisters’ and ‘Mirror Me’, she seems to have forgotten her knack for writing melodies, instead opting for tuneless calamities.
Redemption nearly comes in the form of ‘Cuckoo Through the Walls’, but at this point it feels like you’ve had enough.
I suppose, considering the work as a whole, there are moments of coherence. The overall metaphor of the museum is nearly successful. However, a lack of pacing and direction create a messy affair.
Sorry, but you’ll find me in the gift shop.
– Alim Kheraj
Mug Museum is released in the UK on the 11th November via Turnstile
