| Clever, cacophonous debut from London-based quintet.
Coldplay might have reinforced prejudices about the kind of music made by middle-class boys who met at university but not all play according to type. The Mules got together at Oxford and practised in a room beneath their college chapel, which must have caused serious trouble when they cranked up the amps. They favour skronky rhythms and odd time signatures but go way beyond definitions of ‘punk-funk’, matching their respect for Taking Heads, Gang of Four and Pere Ubu with a love of skiffle, hillbilly and music hall. The twisted cabaret of ‘Live Feed’ distinguishes itself, but Save Your Face is an inventive blast throughout.
****
By Sharon O’Connell, August 2006.
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