Adventure We Go
It takes some gusto to be eccentric these days. In a culture ranked by sales, the curious get pushed aside which is why the likes of Muchuu should be cherished. Sure, their name sounds bizarrely like a Pokemon character but their music is just as cute.
Title track 'Adventure We Go' hints more at Helsinki than the Herfordshire countryside as the duo's uncomplicated, almost robotic voices lead into church organs and Europop beats. Lyrically, the track takes on an idyllic sense of escapism as lead singer Milky whimsically revels in watching her garden grow and breathing in the fresh air. 'Somebody Tell Me' sheds the childlike niceties and creeps into quirky electro coated with Milky's sweet, cherubic voice. Despite the engaging backing of looped drum beats and synths, the track begs to be given a beefed up remix and unleashed onto dancefloors.
With an almost Oriental-esque melody, 'Paint Me Rain' develops into a baffling cacophony of tribal drums and Milky's vocals given emphatic backing by her brother George. Over softened rhythms 'Getaway Train' delves deep into experimental territory; toying with distant voices and intricately soothing sonic brilliance. All this makes sense once you discover that the name Muchuu actually means trance in Japanese and at times you can imagine Buddhist monks meditating serenely to the track.
For such an escapist outlook, 'Songs In My Room' still manages to maintain that juvenile approach to song craftsmanship. Isolated, looped synths provide the intrinsic bedlam that allows Milky's voice to manipulate the track from sanguine to effervescent to endearing powerpop before bleeding to an echoing climax. The outro lends itself well to the painful, desolate opening to 'Dancing With A Ghost'. Thankfully the gloom quickly diffuses and the emptiness is filled again by Milky's adorably high pitched vocals backed up by regimented drumming only abating to periodic bouts of barren serenity.
Amongst the plethora of unusual instruments that feature throughout the album it is a child's musical box that begins 'Chein World' and another childlike adventure. Like Alice in Wonderland, Milky could easily be the intrepid divine girl as she flounces about a tale of jigsaws, potions and white rabbits to sturdy basslines, dreamlike atmospherics and a welcome string section. 'Patchwork' prolongs the trance with synths akin to dancing fireflies and the briefest of stanzas giving the track a loose, infantile lyrical approach. The freedom inherent in the songs finds the duo in oddly creative places; from their native countryside to the ocean in 'Coral And Shell'. Yet again, the track centres itself in escapism; of secret places to the sound of crashing waves, lazy beats and echoed backing vocals. As if on a backpacking trip, French organ introduces 'When I Am Brave' evoking grey, picturesque afternoons in Paris while the pair paint a heady picture of painful looks over longing vocals and cheeky acoustic guitar interludes.
Milky's fascination with all things Japanese ebbs into her lyrics for 'The Place That Humours Me' as she muses of travelling 'Down the diamond lake, in our koto boat' whilst also sneaking in the phrase for goodnight; 'O yasumi nasai'. Yet the track maintains a stringently minimal use of rhythms with only intermittent sound effects leaving calming vocals to feature prominently. Closing track 'Silver Sky' proves how prolific the duo can be and you wonder quite why they have been so reluctant. Built around sporadic piano keys, the tempo builds with the atmospherics laid on heavy to incessant percussion. For once, the track centres around a more adult theme; of the mysteries of love 'across carpet floors'. Though the narrative ends in disappointment, like the album itself the track concludes with a hopeful tinge of youthful optimism.
For Muchuu, the beauty of their debut album lies in its joie de vivre, of not knowing quite what direction the tracks will lead though their craft shines through each one. No matter how quirky the pair; few can deny "Adventure We Go" and its collection of quite beautiful, brilliant songs.