Mu offers spaced-out synth-pop with a human touch

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      Mu (independent)

      On the cover photograph of Mu’s self-titled EP, band members Francesca Belcourt and Brittney Rand look a bit like extraterrestrials as they gaze blankly past the camera, jewels adhering to their foreheads. Despite the duo’s otherworldly appearance, however, the best songs on this short collection address universal human concerns.

      Opening cut “To Be Young” sports mellow drum-machine rhythms and pillowy synth textures, and the gently delivered vocals dwell on boredom and fears of growing old. During the track’s second half, a digitized snare provides a danceable backbone for the lyric “I bet you wish you were young again,” which is bound to leave plenty of listeners nodding in agreement.

      “Everything” is similarly forthright, with self-critical lines about narcissistic melancholy. As softly sunny keyboard plinks intermingle with buried samples of infants laughing, the pair harmonize sweetly on a catchy hook (although this is somewhat marred by a dubious line about “each retarded emotion”).

      To round out the EP, “Big Star” is about someone who “fell from the clouds”, and “To Me to You” veils its breakup lyrics in celestial metaphors. These cryptic songs mean the second half of the collection isn’t quite as emotionally potent as the first. Still, Mu’s ability to give its spaced-out synth-pop a human touch hints at promising things from the local pair.

      Comments

      1 Comments

      Annie

      May 5, 2014 at 5:41pm

      Personally I think the use of the word 'retarded' with the original meaning of 'delayed' or 'held back' (Oxford Dictionary) seems perfectly appropriate...