Muzzlewhite
My Hero
Big Dipper Records

The first single from Muzzlewhite's forthcoming album Muzzlewhite (due to be out in February 2002), their second after last year's Henry's Lunch. These guys seem to be quite fixed on, or obsessed with this Muzzlewhite family: Musselwhite. Meaning 'low meadow near the mussels'. Mosselle-le-Blanc. Mossellewhite. Muslewhite. Mustlewait. Musslewheit. Confused? Well, see the disc's label for full story. Cover stars: Henry Muzzlewhite (son of John Muzzlewith), and his fiancé . Hmmm...

Musically Muzzlehwite operate the dark and melancholy valleys where Madrugada roam. My Hero holds three songs. The title track is a slow, hypnotic, swaying ballad, elegantly spiced with a vibrato guitar (Chris Isaak style) and fragile backing vocals by Karen Jo Fields (not unlike Beth of Portishead). Pleasant. Look All Over Yonder, a song by a band called Cinnamoon, has got a somewhat cowboy-ish (not country) feel. Likable. Think a less low-fi St. Thomas. Cowboy, yes; the song ends with a horse galloping away.

Finally they do a version of their own Henry's fuck-up, re-titled Fuck-up (minor version). This time much more calm and laidback than the original. I find their overall sound to be much better, lighter than the too 80s capsuled expression on their debut. An exciting foretaste.

Copyright © 2001 Håvard Oppøyen