Deep Space; Recent Past
Master & The Mule's sound is one of dense rumble and limber harmonics coupled with a singer who is reminiscent of one of rock's greatest vocalists of the last 25 years - Chris Cornell.
The View From Nowhere is a concise yet exploratory rock album made all the more impressive when you consider it is the Leeds band's debut full-length. Two years finding their raison d'etre in their new studio space has been spent wisely. Opener Penton offers a slow flowering soundscape of down-tuned, gloomy guitar riffs and pounding toms before Fing pulls into Earth's gravitational pull twisting feedback around caveman rhythms - a common theme on this record's nine tracks.
Master & The Mule owe a lot to the sounds of the nineties - big rock grooves addled to artier motives and electronic instrumentation, much like the mini-epic that was Cave In's Jupiter with elements of Tool's sinewy, angular approach to riffs and Mezzanine period Massive Attack's brooding sonics. This is heavy music with a soul eschewing formless jamming and directionless prog often associated with space-rock for something more real, though no less grandiose.
Picking highlights from The View From Nowhere seems reductive given the care taken in assembling the tracklisting and the overall consistency of the record. However, amongst the interlocking cosmology there are some notable moments - the middle of the record comprising the swirling electronics and whooshing drums of Exchange Expression that fade into the dark minimal electronic trip that is Kingdom before a chugging Eyesore picks up the slack - is certainly one such moment.
This Leeds band is obviously confident and crystal clear about their musical purpose and The View From Nowhere is testimony to Master & The Mule's craft. However, since the tone is set so clearly over the opening tracks surprises are few. That said; if space captivates you, it is likely Master & The Mule will do the same.