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March 28, 2024, 10:42:01 PM

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John Maus is back with not one but TWO NEW FUCKING ALBUMS. CHRIST.

Started by alan nagsworth, August 29, 2017, 08:27:34 PM

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alan nagsworth

JOHN MAUS, LADIES AND GENTS! That guy who makes retro-sounding synth music which is simultaneously heavily rooted in 80s Moroder-style atmospheres yet also constantly standing on the outside of the field with his own haunting, mysterious style that no one else seems to be able to match. Shrouded in piercing, almost hostile amounts of sustain and release with every note, the simple beats marching you into some dark recess of your mind you can never quite reach on your own but are always instantly transported to when hearing his music, trying desperately to suck yourself out of this oily reverie to attempt to decipher what the fuck John is singing under all that reverb.

Yes, that John Maus. Two new albums. His first release in six years since the stupendously incredible We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves.

The first album, Screen Memories, is out at the end of October and features lead single The Combine which, honestly, might be one of his best songs. I've had it on repeat since I got home and I'm fucking captivated by it.



The second album will be out next April as part of a career-spanning box set and will be titled Addendum.

In addition to this he's announced some UK shows including Simple Things festival, which I've got tickets for, and The Dome in Tufnell Park, where tickets are the low low price of TWELVE QUID. Fucking hell!

Go listen to the new song it is amazing. Here's the link in case you missed it:

The Combine
The Combine
The Combine
The Combine
The Combine
The Combine
The Combine
The Combine
The Combine
The Combine
The Combine


Serge

Funnily enough, when I first heard of John Maus (the subject of this thread), I assumed he'd named himself in tribute to John Maus (the Walker Brother). It never occurred to me that John Maus might just actually be his real name.

As I said over on Facebook: Typical, you wait six years for a new John Maus album and then two come along at once. At least the box set isn't until 2018, so I have time to save my pennies.

New track is fantastic, but I'd expect nothing less.

Gradual Decline

Bloody fantastic news.

Needed cheering up after the disappointment of Dedicated To Bobby Jameson.

(Soz, Nags).

non capisco

I have not been able to stop playing The Combine all afternoon. It's doing weird amazing things to the hairs on my neck. I can't wait to see this guy Mausing about live later in the year.

Don't Be A Body keeps cropping up on one of my Spotify daily mixes. Quality lyrics. Will check out more.

jobotic

Wow. Never heard of him. Don't know how that could be. This is brilliant, as is the first song I clicked on in the sidebar (believer). Been feeling a bit confused by what people love on here recently (listened to LCD Soundsystem earlier - huh?) but this is fantastic.


Bazooka

Maus is great, heard of him through Animal Collective, his whole discography is excellent. Ever watch his philosophical videos? Could listen to him talk for ages.

Here is a video I saw a few years back that really got me into his stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4b0c7bdzfg

And this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDnO9LoMems

hedgehog90

It's been so long and quiet on the John Maus front I assumed he was a Dead Maus (.. mm. Lol?)

Can't comment on the new song as I'm on my phone and I want to hear it on some decent speakers.
Just wanted to add to the positive noises here. I'M HYPED!

Shay Chaise

A magnificent man. I love the new song. Thanks, Bazooka, for that interview/live footage. Glorious.

Shay Chaise

This interview makes me feel hopeful for human race and the possibilities of life.

https://youtu.be/DnMfKacI9AY

Avril Lavigne

Quote from: Shay Chaise on September 02, 2017, 12:04:36 PM
This interview makes me feel hopeful for human race and the possibilities of life.

https://youtu.be/DnMfKacI9AY

I was going to post this, it's my favourite Maus interview & I've watched/listened to it a bunch of times which I don't do with most interviews even if I've thoroughly enjoyed them.  He really should write a book or something because as much as I love his music, I think his most interesting thoughts and ideas can't be adequately expressed in a few short lyrics.  His explanation of 'Rights For Gays' in one interview was on a whole different confusing level to the face-value way that I'd taken the song.

hedgehog90

I've been re-listening to all his stuff recently. He's very good, isn't he?

Here's a couple other things:

A theme tune he composed for his fan-site, Mausspace.com.

And this 0 star review for WMBTPCOO

AllisonSays

This is class, cheers lads, never heard of him before. I liked the interview linked above as well - I thought, man, he sounds like a PhD student, and apparently he does in fact have a PhD from the University of Hawaii, fair play.

hedgehog90

Anyone got a copy of Love Letters From Hell?
Tried looking for it earlier but all the links I found are dead.

Shay Chaise

This is out there, I've not listened but I heard that it's unfortunately not great, maybe his weakest yet. I'll investigate for myself once it's released but shame if so. Well, at least there's always the next one!

alan nagsworth

Ugh. Shay, I was so geared up to jump down your neck and rip you apart for (at least partially) accepting someone else's criticism before hearing it, but... I'm listening to it now, and quite a lot of it is fairly unremarkable. A handful of tracks have stood out but otherwise it feels rather flat. The grandiose, heart-piercing string synths of The Combine had me psyched up for what could potentially be his biggest, greatest album to date, but putting it as the first song on the album sees the following few tracks serve as diminishing returns.

Maus' best work (which is most of his recorded output, if I'm being honest) feels like retro/synthwave at its absolute peak, unlike any of the other shitheads pedalling out their two-bit half-arsed nonsense. It feels like he's this isolated genius composing the modern avant-classical equivalent of revivalist synth pop. A worryingly large portion of this album feels like any dedicated Maus protégé could have come up with it.

I will say though, the last part of the album is the most impressive. The final four songs are its strongest point, I like them a lot. I'm really bloody hoping the rest of it seeps in and I "get it" eventually. COME ON JOHN

alan nagsworth

Well, four listens in and I am admittedly enjoying it more, but it is still by no means blowing my mind. My main problems are that this album is not anywhere near as beautiful or challenging as his others. Comparing this to Pitiless Censors, there's no touching Hey Moon equivalent here, nor is there an empowering Believer number. Likewise, there are no sudden brain shredding synth solos like in Quantum Leap, or jarring weird bits like the two bars of incessant one-note stabbing we get after the first chorus on Head For The Country.

I am by no means suggesting that Maus needs to repeat himself to be successful or to keep me interested, but... c'mon. There are really no big bold moves on this record at all.

I will keep listening and wait for something to reveal itself, because I am desperate for this to click and prove me wrong.

garbed_attic

Thanks for this!!!

Means lots more material for Youtube videos of forgotten 1980s vhs films set to John Maus tracks!

garbed_attic

Quote from: alan nagsworth on September 14, 2017, 07:03:11 PM
there's no touching Hey Moon equivalent here

To be fair, that is essentially Maus singing over Molly Nilsson's song! (it's ace, of course, but I think the reason for that is mostly her's)


BlodwynPig


Bazooka

He was on an episode of Million Dollar Extreme playing Cop Killer which I didn't see until after reading the piece, and has a few things to say about it, he seems to be overthinking things. 

BlodwynPig

Well, thanks to the OP for alerting me to this guy. I've listened to the two new albums and love them both. A heady mixture of vintage synth and OMD synth-pop sensibilities. Believer is very uplifting.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: BlodwynPig on October 17, 2017, 07:58:52 PM
Well, thanks to the OP for alerting me to this guy. I've listened to the two new albums and love them both. A heady mixture of vintage synth and OMD synth-pop sensibilities. Believer is very uplifting.

Edit: not the two new albums - the screen memories and the one before that, although I now have listened to his early stuff which is different but great too

garbed_attic

Quote from: BlodwynPig on October 19, 2017, 09:40:03 PM
Edit: not the two new albums - the screen memories and the one before that, although I now have listened to his early stuff which is different but great too

You might enjoy some of the John Maus fan videos I ended together, Blodders! ^^

'I Don't Eat Human Beings'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=begQs9sgSKM

'The Fear'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_o9lBlkPco

'Real Bad Job'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy9Kb5zTuc0

'My Hatred is Magnificent; My Hatred is Molecular'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E2m8TgDdPc

'Fish With Broken Dreams'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkyzdRCZHIM

BlodwynPig

Fantastic, thanks Gouty. Was a bit perturbed when it looked like you were just going to have corpse shots.

alan nagsworth

Quote from: Bazooka on October 13, 2017, 10:13:32 AM
He was on an episode of Million Dollar Extreme playing Cop Killer which I didn't see until after reading the piece, and has a few things to say about it, he seems to be overthinking things. 

He overthinks fuckin' everything, part of what makes him so great.