| The Pleasure Unit, London, 21/11/2005.
The Mules claim to have invented their own form of music. It’s called ‘electrobilly’ and it should be patented. The first few numbers are heavy bouncing circus ska, at times reminiscent of the madness of Madness. There isn’t a face without a smile as they wind up a stop-start number that conjours up images of robotic dancing.
The five members of this band mess around with a toolkit full of sounds: Bass, fiddle, guitar, piano, and create something truly innovative. The drummer sits at the front of the stage hammering the skins and creating a constant galloping noise whilst churning out the majority of the vocals. There’s even a bit of Klezmer from the fiddle player who often drives the jumpy hillbilly tunes, plucking and hitting, anything but stroking the fiddle. When he does it see-saws about frantically driving the rest of the hectic sound. They even invent a new genre throwing in a phycadelic ska track.
Despite the number of instruments The Mules have a stripped down schizophrenic sound created by a genuine enjoyment of music. Recently signed to indie label, Organ Grinder Records, Grab Your Musket their debut EP out last year and an album set for release in early spring ‘06, anyone would get a kick out of The Mules.
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