LogFAQs > #976460753

7. Neil Cicierega - Mouth Moods
Mashup, Pop, Musical Comedy, Dance-Pop, Musical Comedy, Novelty, Synthpop, Plunderphonics
2017
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/0/9/AAeDEnAAE5Z9.jpg

@Bitto

https://youtu.be/m0nIVGoFh8I

1. T.I.M.E.
2. Bustin
3. AC/VC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsoCe7C4Kmk

Thisis not what I was expecting. I was not expecting anything specific, but I certainly didnt expect 90s-00s mashups. The only mashup artist Im familiar with is Girl Talk, who mostly uses breakneck hip-hop samples. The Starting Line, in contrast, is way mellower, full of intricate sampling from rock and pop music. Floorcorn uses a hilarious base of Popcorn that grounds other songs like Bodies. AC/VC is another hey I know that song moment, coupled with I cant believe this guy made this work. I know I overuse the word fun when describing music, but this album seems super fun.

I will say I appreciate the slower pace to this than to something like Girl Talk, which is unrelenting in its hedonistic orgy. Mouth Moods also has an edge in that Ive recognized most of the samples so far, which obviously increases enjoyment.

How do you explain Tim Allen? Cicierega asking the hard-hitting questions. Annoyed Grunt appears to be comprised of mostly unintelligible noises, Larry King clips, and Yeah baby! Also a beat I dont recognize. Still having plenty of fun! The Freak on a Leash clip does wonders here.

OMG at this Stairway to Heaven/No Scrubs mashup. These are really creative and they all basically work! (Nice reference to Bustin, the previous song, too.)

So many tigersit happens to tigers. XD Eye of the tiger, its the thrill of the tiger, rising up to the challenge of the tiger. XFD oh my god. Im enjoying this album but Tiger is the first song to actually make me laugh. (Love the Frosted Flakes clip near the end too.) The End is similar to AC/VC, taking a happy backing instrumental (in this case from the Doobie Brothers) and mashing it with something unexpected, and the result is something completely different. T.I.M.E. goes the opposite route an upbeat song mashed with a deadly serious Hans Zimmer composition that turns a Village People anthem into a somber cautionary tale. Its remarkable. This is an album that promotes the creative spirit.

Smooth does something a little different: the two songs, Smooth Criminal and One Week, arent as starkly different as some of the others. Its a more traditional mashup and as much as I Iike both original songs, its not as impactful as some of the other, more transformative works. But thats a nitpick. Its still pretty great. Oh but then we get to the section where the Barenaked Ladies notes get held out and distorted, and thats amazing I love it. Stand by Meme is curious because it uses the exact same One Week samples but with a different backing (Stand by Me). Im not sure we needed both? Wallspin is another frankensong between two disparate songs that transforms into something unexpected.

Wow Wow is a rare cut that uses rap as a base. It flows nicely and is IMO an improvement over Will Smiths original.

This was quite the ride. Apparently Mouth Moods is steeped in meme culture. Im just enjoying it for the tunes, partially through recognition of most of the samples but mostly for the deft skill Cicierega employs with constructing something new from something old. I genuinely enjoyed this album.