read my first review at ww.babysue.com
click reviews, march 2008
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Nadine Mooney - MouseHouseWormHole (CD, Tender Loving Empire, Progressive)
This is a very unusual recording from a very unusual young lady. Because the tunes on this album are centered around a guitar and female voice we were, at first, going to label it as pop. But after spinning this disc a few times we realized that this is most certainly not popular music (!)...nor will it ever be. Our second thought was to label it as folk...but the tunes on MouseHouseWormHole bear very little resemblance to that genre. Nadine Mooney is the recording project created by Sage Fisher (who named her band after her late grandmother). Ms. Fisher's sound is complex and strange...and probably so different that it will alienate most listeners. In our little campground, of course, we were hypnotized right from the start. This CD features tunes that begin where music boxes are wound up ever-so-slowly before subtle psychedelia sets in. The first ten tracks are peculiar indeed...but the second ten are made even stranger by the fact that they are played in reverse (even the song titles are delleps sdrawkcab). Sage has a really peculiar voice that some might describe as chipmunk-like. Perhaps the accompanying press release sums this album up best: "Flutes, whistles and chimes accompany her signature primal warble and delicate guitar plucking to create a singular musical landscape that is a spellbinding work in both forward and reverse." This album is being released in a limited run of 250 copies that are packaged in a beautiful hand silk-screened kraft folder (we particularly love the way the song titles on the back are woven into the branches of a tree). The folks at Tender Loving Empire have captured our obtuse little underground hearts. They have a store/gallery in downtown Portland that offers their own unique brands of music, art, comics, and clothing. Very impressive. But back to Nadine Mooney... Rarely do we come across albums this unique and different. An easy TOP PICK for March 2008. (Rating: 5++)
