Mugison - Little Trip Review
Posted by Tim Johnson on 04.19.2006
Part soundtrack....Part score....Mostly disappointing....
April 18, 2006 marks the Ipecac Recordings release of Little Trip by Icelandic singer/songwriter, Mugison. The album is an immediate follow-up to the musician's successful U.S. debut, Mugimama, Is This Monkey Music?
Though the title of the debut was a bit strange, the disc itself was excellent. Little Trip however, fails to measure up to its predecessor.
The album is part score, part soundtrack to the relatively unknown Julia Stiles movie, Little Trip to Heaven. This reason alone is why Mugison's effort seems a bit misguided.
The disc starts off on a good note with two laid back, jazzy tunes entitled, "Go Blind" and "Little Trip to Heaven." These are the first of only three tracks with vocals and traditional song structure. From there, the album diverts mostly into scene music, which will likely be lost on anyone who hasn't watched the movie.
The musicianship is smooth and intricate, and each track seems like it would successfully provide mood to a film scene. The problem is it's difficult to relate to the music without actually viewing the scene.
John Williams scored more critically acclaimed movies than you can probably think of. And while comparing John Williams to Mugison is like comparing apples and gourds, a Williams soundtrack stands alone.
Little Trip needs the assistance of a visual image to accomodate the score.
Track List
1) Petur Gretarsson
2) Go Blind
3) Little Trip to Heaven
4) Watchdog
5) Mugicone
6) Piano for Tombstones
7) Clip 10
8) Alone in a Hotel
9) Rush
10) Petur por Ben
11) Watchcat
12) My Nobel Prize
13) Alone in the Office
14) Mugicone Part 2
15) Stiff
16) Sammi & Kjartan
17) {Bonus Track}
The album ends with an untitled, acoustic guitar and vocal track that shows off Mugison's talent. It's one of the bright spots on an otherwise disappointing release.
The 411: If you’re looking to add Mugison to your music collection for the first time, stay away from Little Trip. The album is not musically bad, it just lacks direction. It starts under the guise of a typical soundtrack, then quickly turns into short bursts of scene composition. Having said that, Mugison is still a very talented musician and his first release, Mugimama, Is This Monkey Music? is definitely worth checking out.
