That's right, ladies... you're looking at my brand new toilet seat!
(Brand New Toilet Seat also happens to be the name of my 12-piece jazz/funk/soul/swing fusion band.)
Anyway, below is a link to a very nice article/interview with me in which I reveal some previously undisclosed information on the mysterious Mole Consciousness theory, etc.
Th' Mole is tough to pin down. Hopping between musical styles, record labels, costumes, and even stage names (see The Mole, DJ 0.000001, Captain Daydream, etc.), it seems that his only dedication is to innovation, with an utter disregard for tradition. The wide range of themes running through his new album, Do Not Be Afraid, include magic, sex, death, surveillance, and motivation, to name a few, while the music includes elements of nearly every genre known to man, from Chinese folk to dubstep.
Beginning with the explosive and intricately complex instrumental, "Spell To Kill Cancer", Do Not Be Afraid immediately shines a spotlight on Th' Mole's production skills. As opposed to past releases, the album is entirely self-produced, and nearly half of its running time is vocal-free, showcasing his impeccable drum programming, masterful sample manipulation, and progressive arrangements. "Go Horsie" is a driving, jacked-up dance song designed to make the listener move, with Th' Mole yelling, "You and me gonna dance tonight, or else we're gonna f___ing fight!" The electro-rock-rap of "I Love Unicorns" continues the high octane energy as Th' Mole proudly tramples on the concept of traditional masculinity.
The momentum of the album rarely slows as the listener is taken on a rollercoaster ride through Th' Mole's wild universe, from the jaded look at romance of "I'm Feeling Feelings" to the mystical rap gibberish of "Shocky Guy Go" to the accordian-based "Goodbye Forever". The enhanced CD version also includes the endearingly scrappy home-made music video for "Go Horsie" as well as a nice and dark 8-bit dubstep remix of "Bouncy Ball" by Murdasloth.
As varied as Th' Mole's music is, ranging from beautiful to harsh, funny to sad, literal to abstract, there does seem to be a common thread running through it. As the album title suggests, Th' Mole has a message of hope. Despite the chaos and negativity of the world, there is solace to be found in the unknown and in the boundless creativity of the human psyche. He implores us in the CD liner notes to "Stand proud in the chaos and the fog, and smile wide as you plunge into a future that you will help to create. Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. And above all, Do Not Be Afraid."
we r tiny - growing bigger
w/ tiny fingers on tiny triggers
ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tah
in unison we break dem law
little fists n little boots n
little reason not to shoot
we r friends and we like peace n
if we're pushed we kill to keep it
with tiny fists and tiny fingers
tightly gripping tiny triggers
ha hahaha ha haha ha
in unison we break dem jaw
little voices, little amplifiers
little fires make bigger fires
we r friends and we like peace n
if we're pushed we kill to keep it
dwarfed from the start - grew hardly at all - from my
limited perspective all i saw was a wall - and the
more i looked around all the more that i found other
puny people sick of being stuck on the ground - so now we're
knocking it down - we're knocking it down
it's all toppling now
it's a
lemming attack - we want the world back - we been
driven by fear and it brought us here, to the
edge of a cliff, and now we're moving away from
it - and someone's gonna pay for this - been
knocking too long, stuck in the cold so we're
chopping it down, moving up, tally-ho
knock knock knock - chop chop chop -
creak, snap, drop and we're walking on top of
it
with
tiny fists and tiny fingers
powered by a force of massive hunger
massive pressure, massive danger
massive hearts and massive anger
by the kindness of strangers we
rearrange the hoo-ha that hatred breeds
the plan wasn't written - it simply hatched - it's a
natural to reaction to bite the hand that slaps
this is not about vengeance - it's about freedom
you may see us hand in hand but you can get between em
and watch a angry face turn into a smiley face
or keep your back turned and keep your boots tightly laced
you're with us or you're dead
we r tiny - growing larger
w/ tiny fingers on tiny chargers
ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tah
in unison we change dem law
little fists n larger plans n
not afraid to take a chance
we r friends and we like peace n
if we're pushed we die to keep it
with tiny hands all linked together
we're gonna swim or sink together
ha hahaha ha haha ha
in unison we fix dem flaw
little voices, little amplifiers
little fires make bigger fires
we r friends and we like peace n
if we're pushed we die to keep it
dwarfed from the start - grew hardly at all - from my
limited perspective all i saw was a wall - and the
more i looked around all the more that i found other
puny people sick of being stuck on the ground - so now we're
knocking it down - we're knocking it down
it's all happening now
Hectic Recs has re-released my exquisite 2006 album, Mutamigradaptation, including a brand new track list! This version includes the rarely heard gems "Suicide City" and "We Control Everything (Original Version)" as well as favorites such as "Not Too Punk (Mochi Mix)" and "Mutate Or Die".
I recorded most of this while living in New Orleans, and I think you can hear the darkness in the music. It's quite a bit more serious than some of my more recent stuff, but I think it's good. What do you think??
actually that's a lie about recording most of this in new orleans. i remember now, i recorded most of it in oakland where i lived in a tiny room with no windows underneath a staircase in a warehouse with no heat. my bed was directly below a toilet, the details of which could be heard shockingly clearly. it was very romantic the few times that i had a woman there. anyway, maybe that's where the darkness came from. :)
yes, i maked a movie. it's only 3.5 minutes long, and it also sucks. but the instrumental soundtrack is awesome and will be released as a free EP on New Cocoon, on november 23!
Here is a concept you probably never heard of: the "post-mashup". Invented by the Indianapolis-based producer, stAllio!, the post-mashup takes multiple songs and weaves them into one new song, but unlike a traditional mashup which layers songs on top of one another, a post-mashup features multiple song snippets without any layering, intricately re-sequenced into new melodies and rhythms.
I heard some of stAllio!'s post-mashups and I thought they were pretty cool and unique, so I asked him to do one for me. Comprised of eight of my songs (I think), "Spell To Kill Dancefloors" is free to LISTEN/DOWNLOAD HERE (option-click to DL).
