Mouse On Mars Dimensional People

[Thrill Jockey; 2018]

Rating: 2/5

Styles: electronica, glitch
Others: Flying Lotus, Oval, Prefuse 73, Tortoise

Warm synths simmered down by warm blankets. Absence rather than presence, then back again. An iridescence like the nacreous interior of an abalone shell. An aura that massages you. Cocktails crafted by extraterrestrials in spaceship lounges overlooking the darkness of the galaxy.

Spoken word vibes; jazzy electronica chillaxin’. Then back into this noisy, uniquely Germanic space. Songs divided into parts that make you wonder why anyone would divide a song into parts. From a ray of sunshine that speaks of the African American experience to the turbid murk of some Wald. It’s not about nature, of course. Just a marathon through a certain type of membrane-space that may or may not be about the madness of being normal and the madness of collaboration.

Yeah, so they were inspired by footwork. I don’t think there’s a trace of that here, honestly. Instead, we’ve got all these cameos from dead-end artists like Spank Rock (remember him?) and Zach Condon (remember him too?). Although it’s nice to see these guys guest on this album, it’s not a good look. Wrong time portal maybe? Dimensional People wants to be a major rap album, complete with cameos stacked way high, all epic and prodigal. But it’s just not all there.

So, how did they do it? Did they ask each artist, one by one? Who asked who? Who was where, and why? Did sunlight slash their sunglasses as they signed the papers?

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