HOPE FOR A MOURNING

Review originally written for theprogmind.com/ and facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction/

It's been over two years since I first met Mice on Stilts.

I was 17, and it was out at a local festival, a fundraiser for the local primary school, out in the vast expanses of Northland, New Zealand. Being a small local band, gigs that weren't R18 were a rarity for Mice on Stilts in the beginning and this was probably going to be the only opportunity for me to see them live before I turned 18, about six months later. In December 2013 I had heard and reviewed An Ocean Held Me, their near-perfect debut EP, and upon striking up an internet friendship with frontman Ben Morley he insisted I come to see them at any cost. My friend and I got a lift out to the gig with their (now-former) pianist Brendan Zwaan, and the day was one of the most strangely surreal of my life. On that stage, in front of a few hundred people including dozens of children littered on the grass banks, Mice on Stilts played three songs I did not know at the time ? "Khandallah", "Orca" and the monolithic dirge "Funeral". And cliche as this sounds, my life hasn't really been the same since.

In the two years that have come since then, this band has become one of my favourites of all time, and its members some of my closest friends. They almost defined the year 2014 for me, as I saw them numerous times (illegally) by being snuck into venues. On my 18th birthday in late 2014, at a show I still call one of the best I have ever been to, they played "Tuatara Lawn" at my request, and even since then I have continued to love them more and more. To say I am now familiar with those three new songs they played that day, that finally find themselves on a recording in 2016, is an understatement. Seeing the same band live twenty, thirty times does something to your perception of a song, and that is no different with these tunes. I know them almost inside out, as well as more than half of this record, before it was even recorded. Hell, I'm even on this album, which still blows my mind. Hear the choirs on "Khandallah" and "And We Saw His Needs Through the Casket"? That's me there, failing to sing the bass part. This album has almost become an intrinsic part of my being over the last two years, so being in the position to review it makes me feel strangely compromised, and it's actually incredibly difficult to attempt to assess it in an objective fashion. Many of the thoughts I have on this are thoughts from being close to it for two years, which is a unique situation for me.

All of this also demonstrates just how long this album has been in the works. The band performed several tracks from this live at their release party for An Ocean Held Me back in 2013, so it's evident that these aren't all fresh pieces. Even since then ? this album was recorded with an eight-piece lineup, and five members of that ensemble have now departed for various reasons, with three new ones taking their places. This album is being performed live and promoted by almost an entirely different lineup to the one that recorded it. My choir part was recorded back in November of 2014, and the album has been meticulously pieced together since then by their resident producer (who moonlights as a bassist in the band), Tim Burrows, for the past 18 months.

For those who haven't heard An Ocean Held Me, Mice on Stilts sound like the product of piling half a dozen highly trained instrumentalists to arrange songs written by a man with an obsession with Radiohead, Kayo Dot and Swans, and a voice like that of a classic folk singer. Of course, as someone who knows the members, that pretty much sums up their group dynamic perfectly. Benjamin Morley is the heart and soul of the band, with his core vocal melodies shifting between strained and soulful and serene, perfectly complementing the stark dynamics of his backing. And there are some truly wonderful dynamics in there. Consisting of bass, guitar, piano, drums, saxophone, trumpet, viola, synthesiser and ambient noise, the Mice on Stilts collective perfectly balance Ben's songwriting by contributing smooth and pastoral atmospheres at times, and jarring, chaotic, droning and near-metal themes at others. The diversity in timbres is both unique and exciting for a band which at its core is essentially soft-spoken indie rock. Links to Arcade Fire or The Dear Hunter are undeniable in the band's arrangements, but there is an underlying theme of darkness, energy and chaos that one would generally never associate with those artists.

Hope for a Mourning is not a massively different release from An Ocean Held Me stylistically, but it does manage to shed much of the restraints needed in an EP by taking these songs to the lengths they truly want to reach. "Tuatara Lawn" from the EP is a shoo-in for my favourite song of all time, and foreshadows the sort of dramatic building that is developed on Hope for a Mourning. In my honest opinion nothing here quite reaches the heights of that individual track, but taken as a whole this is equally as good if not better than the EP. "Funeral" is the obvious discussion point of much of this excess, and is truly one of the most harrowing pieces I have heard. I remember this being performed to absolute perfection when Mice on Stilts opened for Yes at the Aotea Centre. You can just imagine the hilarity at Ben introducing it as "a prog rock song" to an audience of aging prog fanatics before moving into an 11-minute monolith of folk, darkness and Swans-ian repetition. The progression from soft-spoken folk to chaotic smashing is something I immediately linked to a song like "Get All You Deserve" by Steven Wilson, but Funeral is much more than that. It's immersing, it's gargantuan, and even though at first Ben's Mark Kozelek-esque vocal wanderings seem a bit vague at the start, the more you listen to it the more every part makes perfect sense, and the explosion in its final minutes has my vote for one of the most otherworldly live experiences on this planet.

This heavy emotional palette is one that occupies a lot of this record, particularly in the second half, but there is a lighter, folkier side to it that many will find enjoyable even without needing to have an emotional episode. "Khandallah", as Ben liked to introduce it at each performance, is "a happy song about happy things". His decision to open the album with it is fascinating and not necessarily one I am completely convinced of because it almost sets the wrong tone for the record, but the sweet smoothness of the uplifting chorus is definitely a fantastic piece of work regardless of where it sits. It's here when Ben shows his talent for pop melodies and being an indie singer, and the rest of the band show their skills at adorning a song with colourful arrangements. None of the parts bar the chords and vocals are written by Ben, with all of the horn and string players floating their parts on and around his core until it sounds complete.

The first three songs on the album carry this same folk tinge, before the album takes a stylistic deviation with "And We Saw His Needs?". "Orca" is essentially a merger of those folk tendencies with some classic progressive rock structuring. It's become a bit of a favourite of mine in recent times (pretty much ever since they stopped playing it live actually), but the combination of the smooth poppy melody, the unusual structuring and the explosive finale is something that encapsulates the Mice on Stilts sound wonderfully. The way the song takes a complete deviation after the first chorus to a different segment and eventually a full-on ambient section before returning for the second chorus is a truly inspired piece of songwriting.

But as nice as the first half of the record is, the second half is when the band truly show their talent. When this album was demoed, the only song I wasn't convinced of was "And We Saw His Needs Through the Casket", but the fully recorded version has totally changed my mind. It acts as a bridge to the album's second half, ending with a two- minute choral section that creates a gorgeously ominous mood that leads into "YHWH" brilliantly. YHWH itself is a fascinating song, and I actually told the band I thought it should open the record, but Ben said he "didn't want to scare people". It's a beast of a track, a mathy, angular dirge of sludge riffs and impossibly tight drum grooves. It's really a testament to the band's diversity that they can shove a song this heavy into their music without ever feeling like it's shoehorned or out of place.

I also must give a brief mention to pianist Brendan Zwaan, since I haven't really talked about him much. He was not with the band for An Ocean Held Me, and has since departed the band with the birth of his son, but his fingerprints are all over Hope for a Mourning. Co-writing in several of the songs, including all of the choral segments, he adds a beautiful classical touch to the ensemble, which mostly consists of jazz musicians. He is also responsible for the absolutely harrowing ending to the album, with the instrumental closing minutes of "Monarch". Coming after Funeral the song finishes the album in the darkest of places, with Zwaan, accompanied by Sam Hennessy on viola and Joseph Jujnovich's vocal wanderings, pulls out a piece of Moonlight-esque beauty to close of the record.

Honestly, I don't have any proper complaints about this record that aren't ones brought about by me having heard these songs a billion times. The only nitpick I can pull out is that I feel many of these songs are much better live than in studio, and the recording doesn't quite capture the full power of a song like "Orca" or "Funeral". The recording is far from poor, but Tim Burrows has opted for a smoother and quite dream pop-sounding production this time around, which works really well in the softer songs, but can leave the heavier ones wanting a bit more punch.

Compositionally though, there's barely a mis-step here. The group perfectly decorate Morley's indie rock croon with sections of jazz, classical, rock, drone, ambient, or The Seer-era Swans smashing when necessary, whilst never losing that melodic and soulful song-base. Hope for a Mourning is a gorgeous and heartfelt piece of music, that perfectly takes in dozens of influences without ever feeling cluttered. A long time coming, but worth it in every way.

I have decided to write a short review to support the work of NZ band Mice on Stilts. I love prog and have realised that I am not in the best place in the world to experience my passion, except from a distance. Well, I have to say these guys should open the ears of many a Kiwi and should be a must listen for all you prog lovers out there!

This is a step up in my opinion. I enjoyed their approach in their first effort and in particular Tuatara lawn which has a much more of a full sound and compliments the bare bones that they often display, similar to Tim Bowness. The selection of songs here displays much of this approach which I enjoy greatly. As an Englishman living in NZ I still enjoy my old pastimes such as the Football. My team Everton have just lost at Wembley so I normally turn to reflective, gloomy music to cheer me up. I tend to pick out a couple of Stevens being either Wilson or Hogarth. In this case I read a review for Mice on Stilts here and decide to give it a go. Well I was rewarded with exactly the experience I was looking for and more. The sound is rich, minimal at times, different but in a good way with their use of instruments, such as brass, and has the rare ability to make the hairs stand up on my neck and create emotion similar to the voice of Hogarth. This was most apparent in the tracks "Kallandah", "YHWH","Funeral" and the title track where the music hits new heights and reminded me of the catchy sounds of early Coldplay without staying in that safe territory for too long before moving into more Steven Wilson like sounds found in his most recent material, mixed with a little NoMan.

I don't write reviews very often as I am not very good at them but this sort of quality music which often falls below the radar needs to be shouted about from the rooftops. I just need to get them to visit the Nelson area in the near future as I miss the live experience and have to spend massive amounts of money to satisfy my prog needs, such as Marillion weekend next year. More of a prog appreciation in NZ might encourage more bands to make the trip this way!

5 out of 5 emotional stars from me.

From gorgeous New Zealand, we have a new album from Mice on Stilts, a progressive crossover artist that caught the community's attention with 2014's rather engaging debut 'An Ocean Held Me' and kept us wondering if another gem would be in the cards. Two years later, this sophomore release continues from where they had left off, a mercurial and original take on the crossover style that does not mean that it's the 'poppiest' of genres within the prog spectrum but rather wishes to incorporate a certain sense of accessibility. Ben Morley's has quite a singular flair when it comes to forging his own musical persona, a heady combination of various influences that defy the norm. Firstly, he possesses a voice that is just made for melancholic and heartfelt music, with a definitive yearning for emotional release and lyrical expression. At times, I was reminded of a modern-day Jim Morrison in terms of delivery though not necessarily tone. The musicians he chooses are closer to jazz and chamber, with lots of woodwinds, cellos and violas, way closer to Penguin Caf' Orchestra than your archetypal neo-prog line-up. The heavy use of piano and choir is another lucid clue into the Morley musical psyche, a deliciously intense universe of artistic seduction that deserves to be further noticed by the prog community. This is a major talent, proggers!

The tracks are impressively astute canvases on life, from the sweeping opener 'Kandallah', a piece that really sets the melancholic mood with reflective piano dispositions from the talented Brendan Zwaan and a soaring vocal delivery from Ben Morley, anointed with clever pastoral meanderings and a delicate sense of orchestral structure, swelled by a wall of sound effects that seek to blur the senses.

The splendid 8 minute 'Orca' is a different fish altogether (oops), the acoustic guitar taking the spotlight as Ben navigates the aching whitecaps of his tempestuous soul, Rob Sanders' slick drumming pushing the wavy brass section into an aquatic frenzy. There is a tremendous mid-section that first seeks out ambient paradigms, only to let the sax brave the seas and let the shrill synthesizer scour the sprays. A truly magnificent opus that has cinematographic tendencies as well as immense depth and sonic boom.

'The Hours' is short and sombre, 'a moment on my own' delivered in that fatigued, pillow-infected voice that is sleepy but despondently insistent, wholly minimalist at first with the piano and acoustic guitar in tow. That Jim Morrison impression shines through once again, a door into the past and I see it as rather unmistakable.

The next trio of songs form the core of this amazing piece of work, a trilogy of essence and creative genius, starting off with the 'And We Saw His Needs'', again the piano being the orchestra conductor, decorating the lush arrangement, along with some sensational trumpet work from guest Guy Harrison. When the celestial choir work kicks in, the proverbial jaw has hit the floor, as both Catherine Walker and Esther Tetlow elevate this to unforeseen heights! The resonant Zwaan piano is sheer brilliance, crystalline pearls of reverence and despair, furthered by the persevering choir. The very calm 'YHWH' keeps the agony ongoing, perhaps more soporific and psychedelia- induced at first. The guitars come clanging in rather brutally, slashing and slicing through the clamorous veil of sound, hinting somehow at those 90s bands that specialized in Gothic doom (Swans, Lycia, Black Tape for A Blue Girl, Love Spirals Downwards, His Name is Alive etc'). Again, sheer brilliance! The title track serves as a reversal of mood, very sinewy and obscurely swerving in ambiance, a slick vocal duet between Morley and one of the ladies, spurred on by thrilling brass and jazzy drumming. The agony and the ecstasy is plainly heard and ably expressed as the ethereal mood rolls forward like some grayish cemetery mist, momentarily chilling the senses.

All this impressive music is nothing compared to the magnificence of the incredible 11 minute epic 'Funeral', a fittingly somber reptile of a track full of sorrow and regret, nearly on the threshold of surrender. Ben offers up a heartfelt expanse of emotions that pulls at all the heartstrings, cello, violins and viola in tow. There is a definite Swans feel here, loads of dramatic interface, bellowing brass and furious drumming that swell ultimately into a rather obvious and expected apotheosis, with all musicians involved up to the hilt. A masterpiece of progressive rock music. Amen.

Hard act to follow such genius but so is the butterfly morphing from the caterpillar, as 'Monarch' sets the sun down on another stellar production from a musician that is truly carving out new territories. The song feels like a finale, a bittersweet and yet tender au revoir. This is the perfect lights-out, candles-lit, glass of Cabernet Sauvignon in the goblet type of recording, definitely nocturnal and perhaps even autumn-esque. Truth is the quality is so great that anytime, anywhere and anyway will work fine.

The cover art is once again a winner, deeply melancholic and childlike in its pure sensibility, as if designed to be a prog pastel coloring book. There is no doubt that Steve Wilson is a genial producer, composer and musician but the prog world needs to make some room for Ben Morley and his Mice on Stilts.

5 Courageous Bereavements

Hope for a Mourning is an album that superbly mixes alternative elements with prog to form beautiful yet powerful songs that provide for some very sad and emotional moments. The single, and the opener of the album, Khandallah, is such a beautiful song with great lyrics, vocals, and piano that incorporates some gentle strings and sax. The chorus is so touching and this is definitely not the song you want to listen to on a warm, happy day, but none of the songs on the album are for that type of mood, really. Orca starts off very softly but a little before half way through it gets pretty dark and somewhat uneasy. It contains a section of repeating the line, "The good lord has his hand on me now" that slowly fades out, and then there is a brief build up and trumpet comes in strongly immediately followed by drums, and this provides for one of the best moments in the album and makes Orca another great song. The Hours is the shortest song and by far the least progressive, but it's a nice short and sweet song that is pretty enjoyable especially after the intense "Orca". And We Saw His Needs Through the Casket is another pretty dark song which is already shown through the title. It includes some powerful piano and a choir that emphasizes the creepy, haunting sound of the song. Yhwh is my favorite song on the album. It starts off soft like all of the songs do, and a couple minutes in, the guitar comes in with some angry strumming combined with unusual off-beat drumming that sounds so cool. The vocals come in just as strongly and then it transitions into a quiet excerpt only to finish the song off even angrier than before. The title track is my other favorite. The lead vocals are matched with a woman's back-up vocals from which we heard in Khandallah and probably in the choir. She has a gorgeous voice and it is perfectly matched with the lead. The harmonies are extraordinary throughout the entire song. The beginning starts with piano backed with some deep notes from the cello. Then the acoustic and drums hit simultaneously and it's backed by some great trumpet. I love the melody and harmony in this song and it's another beauty. Funeral is the longest song at a little above eleven and a half minutes. This song is pretty interesting and literally sounds like a story is being told. Like "And We Saw His Needs Through the Casket," the vocals are very monotone and is almost just talking. However, In "Funeral" there are drums, but only starting a little before the six minute mark. Monarch kind of sounds like Khandallah, but more dark. It doesn't feature any drums which is common throughout the album and replaces them with some heavy strings and even some clarinet. This song is much more powerful than one might think and needs a few listens to have the message sink in. And to me, even without the lyrics, the song sounds like the end of something that could have been great. The lyrics on this album are excellent and often depressing, but in a good way. The instrumentation is piano driven and lacks a normal amount of drums as many parts in the songs do not include drums and three songs are completely without them. This is no problem whatsoever as Mice on Stilts uses this to their advantage to emphasize the amazing piano and vocals bolstered from the back-up of thorough string sections and occasional but wonderfully used brass. Hope for a Mourning is truly an album of supreme beauty, and it shows this through melancholy and dark moments that provide for a pleasurable listen.

With their second album release, Mice on Stilts has improved and polished their recorded sound dramatically. The music here sounds like a cross between BON IVER and THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND merged with the more atmospheric sides of ULVER and TOBY DRIVER. The songwriting is more diverse on this album and each song has far more depth in terms of sound development and exploration. This is the kind of growth and improvement one likes to see from a young band!

1. "Khandallah" (6:50) one of the most powerful album opening songs ever! (15/15)

2. "Orca" (8:10) opens with the first 90 seconds sounding like a nice DAVE MATTHEWS song. A great ULVER-like key change at the three minute mark--and then the awesome shift in which a chorale of voices join in to sing the chorus at the end of the fourth minute. An ambient section of reverse guitar notes gives a brief break before sax-led full-band section reintegrates us with the main motif. Awesome Post Rock-like finale of building sound over a repeating chord progression. (14.25/15)

3. "The Hours" (3:45) a gently picked steel string guitar opens this song before some tinkling piano notes join in as Ben sings with his lower register voice mixed quite forward of the guitar and piano. Definitely more of a folk song. (8/10)

4. "And We Saw His Needs Through The Casket" (6:43) opens with solo piano establishing a gorgeous albeit haunting and depressing song foundation. It sounds almost classical. Ben starts to sing toward the end of the first minute in a very deep, almost Tom Waits-like voice. Multiple voices and horns join in for the second verse. The lead vocal is amazing with its emotion and intent but then add in the choral voices as And then at the four minute mark the song shifts completely with upper octave shifting piano dyads, bass and guitar chords providing the new base for an all-chorale lead. Powerful and amazing! Simply has to be heard in order to understand! (14.25/15)

5. "YHWH" (7:20) opens as a quite, delicate guitar-based song before going full "metal" around the one minute mark with loud, sustained distorted electric guitar strums. This reminds me of KAYO DOT or OCEANSIZE! Especially with its sparse vocals and predominantly instrumental nature. (13.5/15)

6. "Hope For A Mourning" (6:40) The finish is very GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR-like in its orchestrated feel but then finishes with--surprise!--almost a full minute of silence allowed at the end of the song. (13.5/15)

7. "Funeral" (11:40) A wonderfully paced song in which the music and vocal and story are perfectly matched in telling this very emotional story. Reminds me a lot of sound and feel from the debut STARSABOUT album also reviewed on this page as well as some of THE CURE's more emotional music on "Disintegration" and after. A perfect song and probably my favorite on this amazing and excellent album. (20/20)

8. "Monarch" (6:20) simple, soft, spacious, atmospheric, yet amazingly melodic and emotional, this is an awesome ULVER or TALK TALK like song and a perfect ending to this beautiful and amazingly emotional journey! Thank you, Benjamin! This is exactly what music--or any art--in it's most perfect form should do! (10/10)

Total Time 56:21

What makes this album so exciting, so masterful, is the numerous "unexpecteds": unexpected key or chord changes, unexpected dynamic shifts, unexpected instrumental uses or shifts, unexpected vocal stylings, unexpected recording techniques, and, of course, unexpected lyrical directions. So refreshing and often flamboyantly breathtaking! How weird is it that the shortest and simplest song is the "worst"?!!

Five stars; an undeniable masterpiece of progressive rock music.