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artist · mujaji
release · on a bridge between clouds
year · 2006
genre · lo-fi
label · nomadic
catalogue · nomad006cd
website · www.mujaji.tv
date · 29-nov-2006
quality · alt-preset standard
source · compact disc
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01 finest role 3:48
02 the aim 3:32
03 quiet show 4:48
04 made of light 4:07
05 bobby fischer 4:29
06 on a bridge between clouds (feat maria solheim) 4:09
07 butterfly 4:10
08 cellphone 4:04
09 to stone 5:03
10 birdseye cabaret 3:00
11 loudmouth 4:11
playtime · 00h 45m 21s
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listening to on a bridge between clouds is like being intently
aware of your breathing for half an hour; it becomes a hypnotic
exercise, and you start to wonder what will happen if you stop.
fine-grained, gravelly vocals filter through the record like rice
through a colander and incongruous lyrics humming through a veil
of varied, moody instrumentation; out of it all rises a collection
of very considered, aerated songs. though mujaji are ostensibly
based between london and new york, there's a distinctly
scandinavian feel to the record, from the trip-hoppy tics and airy
sense of pace, reminiscent of norway's subgud, to the inclusion of
norwegian singer-songwriter maria solheim on guest vocal duties.
its darker reaches balance unsettlingly low, indistinct basslines
with subtly discordant samples and jed's knowing vocals. the
resulting, sly sense of calm is peturbing rather than welcoming.
'finest role' is eerie, loose hip-hop beats laid to rest beneath
jed's vampiric voice, slowly beckoning: "stay and lose control /
play your finest role / we are only animals." for a record largely
programmed rather than played, it sounds impressively organic - no
tinny, plastic synths or amateur beats here. its lighter moments,
however, conjure the notion of josh rouse fronting the sundays,
singer jed adopting a reflective rather than predatory stance, his
vocals fluttering over blissed out instrumental twinkles and airy
acoustic guitar.
at its outset it's a very sensual, unusual record, but halfway
through it loses its touch. the repetitive 'cellphone' attempts
the same fuzzy, slightly discordant whimsy as 'finest role', but
suffers from clumsy, unrhythmic lyrics, overkill on the funny
noises, and most damningly, a lack of ideas. the velvet underside
that gives the earlier tracks such a rich, furtive texture wears
thin, leaving weightless songs that warrant little more by way of
description than that hated word, "mellow". oddly the title track,
maria solheim's sole vocal outing on the record, seems to mark
oabbc's creative horizon, beyond which all its inspiration and
charm disappears. yet it's a gorgeous song, solheim's vocals
tripping fancifully across misty swoops of melody, and all of it
reminiscent of arts & crafts lot stars. it's a shame the momentum
is so quickly and irredeemably lost thereafter; if mujaji could
have distilled the same otherworldly, unnerving essence throughout
the whole record, on a bridge between clouds would have been an
impressive album.
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