Wight Mousse
Up and coming artists Pompous Tinkers may have released their debut album, Wight Mousse, last February, but the enigmatic band has been laying low ever since. Cloaked in mystery, the duo chooses to remain nameless even after releasing their experimental album. The tracks on Wight Mousse are intentional and academic, with tricky rhythms and thickly layered harmonies. Overall, it’s clear that these musicians take their craft seriously, even if they want to remain anonymous.
Wight Mousse opens with the five-minute track “Whirlpool,” a perfect overture for what is yet to come. Distorted Foley and a reverbed piano float to surface, quickly joined by a shocking synth and drumbeat. Immediately, it’s clear that Pompous Tinkers have a propensity for irregular rhythms and tension-building dissonance. A prerecorded broadcast tries to breakthrough but gets swallowed whole by the noise. By the time the lyrics kick in the listener is sucked into the controlled chaos, and unable to break free of the spiraling instrumentals in the aptly named opening track.
Wight Mousse album art via Pompous Tinkers
The duo maintains their energy with two heavy hitters following “Whirlpool.” Initially, “Hickory Witch” feels like a total 180, reminiscent of a 1990’s singer-songwriter classic, with clean guitar and dreamy vocals. But as the track continues, haunting harmonies pick up, as if floating through something supernatural. The dissonance creeps back in as well, and the repeated lyrics of “Hickory Witch is dead” are unsettling. The album moves on to “Mama Never Liked You,” dripping in deep guitar notes and minor-key melodies on the piano. Once the energy picks up, the bass guitar starts to pump away like a heartbeat, while squealing accents add to the urgency. The track invokes a feeling of running, much like being chased in a nightmare. Towards the end, all the darkness breaks and hopeful strings take over, as if finally reaching the destination safely. But before the track ends, a final dissonant chord leaves it on a cliffhanger.
The fourth, sixth, and seventh tracks take a slight departure from the overwhelming darkness, adding some psychedelic elements cut straight from The Beatles’ The Magical Mystery Tour or Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Starting with “Pitiful Prospector,” the signature irregular rhythms are accented with shimmering percussion and dreamy vocals. The repetitive piano melody trucks along, taunting the listener, before a glittering breakdown brings the track to its end. “Lucid Ballerina” adds some softness to the otherwise intense album, with a bright acoustic melody. Marching percussion and rumbling bass add necessary gravity to the song, allowing it to still fit in the lineup. “Lucid Ballerina” gives way to “Perfume Hound,” and leaves all dreamy feelings behind. “Perfume Hound” hits with a hard rock guitar instantly, marrying the intensity of the opening tracks with the trippy elements in “Pitiful Prospector.” There are entrancing guitar riffs and a swirling vocals, but the melody shines through in the chorus, as if the clouds are briefly parting.
The previously skipped fifth track, “Cat & Mouse,” hints at Pompous Tinkers’ ability to incorporate different genres into their album. “Cat & Mouse” cleverly infuses a Spanish guitar to underscore the salsa or tango rhythm. As if describing a real cat and mouse hunt, lyrics like “Let’s play cat and mouse/Take me to your slaughterhouse madam/Let’s play cat and mouse/This place is a madhouse madam” conjure up visions of a flirty pursuit, almost like a dance instead a serious chase. A few songs later, “Red Balloon” once again brings a different genre into the mix. A jazz piano rhythmic snapping bring the listener to a dark lounge with velvet couches. The middle section of the song returns to their signature chaos, featuring a jam session of whoops and yells, with the only melody provided by the piano and bass. The track returns to center one last time before devolving into “Jester in the Limelight.” Electing to use a funk beat and guitar melody, “Jester in the Limelight” is almost theatrical in nature. Lilting vocal melody and the dark harmonies taunt the listener, perfectly segueing into the final track.
Wight Mousse closes out with another five-minute track, “Wonky Limousine.” Returning to its roots, the album finishes with controlled chaos in the rhythm section, as swirling and squealing guitar lines invoke imagery of a run-down carnival. The lyrics tell of an unseen force growing in size and swarming like insects to take over your mind. More dissonance creeps in, before a final breakdown consumes the track, and the album fades to a close.
The intangible Pompous Tinkers have produced a truly unique piece of work with Wight Mousse. All tracks cleverly use unusual elements to build an unsettling and uncanny world, and instrumentals fill the space with overwhelming and omnipresent sound. Lyrically, they tell deep stories using heavy handed metaphors and intentional vocabulary to paint vivid pictures, all of which are a little bit off. Wight Mousse feels like a haunted carnival ride from start to finish. Hopefully they will be releasing more music (and maybe more information) in the near future.
