MICE PARADE What It Means To Be Left-Handed (2010 UK strictly
limited edition 12-track vinyl LP - 'What It Means To Be Left-Handed' is
the stunning new full-length from Mice Parade. Coloured by splashes
of West African Highlife, Flamenco, Brazillian Jazz, even 80's
indie-rock, the album is knowingly un-hip and as distinctive and
idiosyncratic as the band's previous records. It is a giddy-paced,
flickering, enveloping, soaring and respectful nod to the musical
influences that lend themselves to the band's sound, yet it is never
derivative. The album opens with the gorgeous, frolicking 'Kupanda',
performed by Pierce alongside Somi and kora player Abdou. The track
is one of a set of Highlife-influenced pieces that lie around songs that
stray more overtly from the trodden Mice Parade path: the polar
extremes found on 'What It Means To Be Left-Handed' include lush,
sophisticated pseudo-electronica ['Tokyo Late Night'], a dizzyingly
blissful Tom Brosseau cover ['Mary Anne'] and drifting miniatures
['Pond', 'Recover'], yet all somehow fit effortlessly within the Mice
Parade persona. The album may consist of a collection of individual
assets, but its identity is held together by extraordinary musicianship,
by its faithful and enthusiastic acknowledgment of a 'music existing for
music's sake' philosophy, and by its rich, home-produced sonics)**Strictly Limited to 300 Copies ONLY**
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