 |
| a division of and/OAR |
| genre-melding electronic and experimental music |
...and so the new mOAR subdivision of and/OAR starts off its 2008 CD
release schedule on a happy-go-lucky child-like note with Untree by Italian
project Mou, Lips! (Andrea Gabriele, from Pirandelo and formerly of Tu m')
with various tracks featuring Emanuela De Angelis, Stephen Vitiello, Jara
Queeto, Marita Cosma and Ivan Solano. Untree displays Gabriele's well
honed ability to weave a complex mix of seemingly incompatible elements,
instruments and musical influences into cohesive and unified song-like
structures while always keeping one root firmly planted in the soil of the
electronic avant garde. This is certainly an album that will keep revealing new
aspects of itself with each successive listen while inspiring a good mood to
shine through, even on psychologically cold and rainy days.
Design, photography & artwork by Dale Lloyd and Celeste Najt.
Limited to 300 copies.
and/OAR interview with Andrea Gabriele of MOU, LIPS!
release schedule on a happy-go-lucky child-like note with Untree by Italian
project Mou, Lips! (Andrea Gabriele, from Pirandelo and formerly of Tu m')
with various tracks featuring Emanuela De Angelis, Stephen Vitiello, Jara
Queeto, Marita Cosma and Ivan Solano. Untree displays Gabriele's well
honed ability to weave a complex mix of seemingly incompatible elements,
instruments and musical influences into cohesive and unified song-like
structures while always keeping one root firmly planted in the soil of the
electronic avant garde. This is certainly an album that will keep revealing new
aspects of itself with each successive listen while inspiring a good mood to
shine through, even on psychologically cold and rainy days.
Design, photography & artwork by Dale Lloyd and Celeste Najt.
Limited to 300 copies.
and/OAR interview with Andrea Gabriele of MOU, LIPS!
AQUARIUS RECORDS (July 2008)
Mou, Lips! is the work of Andrea Gabriele formerly of the Italian project
Tu m'; and here, Gabriele ventures into the digital headspace of pixel-point
abstraction with smartly placed hints of a pop sweet tooth. His tone-bent
digital errata and languid samples of intimately plucked classical guitar,
blurting trumpets, maudlin French horns, and scratchy violins from old '78s
return to some of the finer moments of post-pop electronica that Sonig and
Mille Plateaux were championing many years ago. Untree is a quirky and
playful album which lends itself to sounding like Terry Riley being redone by
Lithops and / or Vladislav Delay.
TOKAFI (June 2008)
A quirky dance of the elements: Everything that makes the world of
experimental music such a wonderful place. Everybody agrees that buying
your vegetables seasonally is the right thing to do. So why is this wisdom
never applied to music? “Untree” certainly fits the approaching mood of
Summer perfectly, an album which makes you feel all frisky and frolicsome
as the first rays of the sun tingle your face through the open window.
Certainly not the thing to expect from a CD labelled “Avant-garde” in the
press release. On the other hand, there are obvious indications that Andrea
Gabriele, formerly a member of T um' and now fostering Mou, Lips! next to
writing project-based soundtracks for companies like MTV or BMW, will
probably welcome the arrival of the warm season by spinning some Philipp
Glass records rather than roots Reggae.
At least in terms of rhythm, the pulsation principle reigns supreme, from the
declining reed figures of opener “non e colpa mia!” to the quirky dance of
the elements “cosa buena”. Jara Queeto guests on Trumpet, Ivan Solana
joins in on Bass Clarinet and many others add their bits and pieces here and
there, invigorating the airy electronic textures with an organic touch and
occasional Jazz references. Even though there is no information on the
recording procedure, “Untree” often sounds as though it could have been
improvised on the spot.
The only thing one could hold against this theory is the radical precision
Gabriele applies to his creations. Not even once extending beyond the length
of a pop single, his work is marked by the unhurried development of musical
ideas and by clear cuts once the thought has been brought to a conclusion.
William Basinski would stretch a track like “bora” to at least an hour – here,
it ends after barely three minutes.
The above mentioned comments already hint at the stylistic eclecticism to be
found on “Untree”. From acoustic guitar deconstructions, field recording-
infused dronescapes, backwards-loops coated with sugary glitches and
melancholic Ambient to heartwarming scenes of pastoral serenity (“still life
(s) live”), the record has almost everything on offer that makes the world of
accessible experimental music such a wonderful place – when experienced at
the right time.
Most people also agree that you need to consume products locally, in the
country where they were produced. My father, for example, still insists the
only time he really enjoyed a Martini Rosso was on a trip to Italy – the bottle
he brought home never really lived up to that. Here’s the difference with the
music comparison, though: As long as the sun is shining, you can listen to
and cherish “Untree” almost anywhere. (Tobias Fischer)
SMALLFISH (June 2008)
and/OAR offshoot mOAR delivers this very fine work from Mou, Lips! A little
more playful than the releases on the parent label, but absolutely brimming
with personality and melodic strangeness. Edits and chopped up samples
and perky, experimental live instruments collide with classic minimalist styles
and sounds (think 12k, Spekk etc) to make a very satisying album indeed -
almost like a slightly more out-there Sora. Check out all the samples, but
pay particular attention to the 4th one to see what I mean... absolutely
brilliant stuff. (Mike Oliver)
EARLABS (March 2008)
mOAR begins the explorations of and/OAR into complex and neatly
balanced expressions of garden-shed electronica - pristine surfaces mottled
with mildew and sundry glitches, which refract light and color into so many
dazzling directions. Italian act Mou, Lips! (essentially Andrea Gabriele,
formerly of Tu m', with assistance from others such as Stephen Vitiello)
serve as a more than apt guide for the labels first foray into this new land.
However incongruous the elements or surreal their juxtaposition, they inhabit
the same space in these tracks, and their playfully exposed and oddly off-
center yet considered arrangements ensure they are well defined. Many of
these audio collages stand out for their ability to create a sensation that
there is a very real acoustic space in which all of the sounds actually exist,
even if they sound a trifle unreal. Most, if not all, of the essential elements
seem present from the start: "Vit Virt" sees a trellis of sinuous woodwinds
and glistening ribbons of light orchestration bind like glue over a bed of fire-
cracker snaps and warm, soothing tones on "Michaela Aiuta Cenzina",
making for a clash and commingle of mood-colors like a sort of macabre
whimsy. As the album progresses, the ordering changes in deceptively
simple but significant ways, emphasizing now an idyllic flutter of electronics
like a slow dance of morning light, now a jazzy cascade of misty horns
overtop ectoplasmic tendrils, and finally later a crepuscular, cobwebby sound,
shot through with field recordings, lively and incoherent, and full-blooded,
hectic keyboard and glockenspiel lines. These works play very well on the
proximity of ecstasy and eeriness. A strong dual relationship is forged
between them, without either encroaching a great deal on the others
territory. For this reason, the very lightness of touch that affords the tracks a
sort of cutesiness also gives rise to a certain understatement and
intelligence, a certain purpose and sense of possibility that results in
fascinating patterns of overtones, which henceforth engage and otherwise
tease the former in a rather festive manner. All of this makes Untree an
invigorating and attractive set; a fine foundation from which to build.
(Max Schaefer)
WALL OF SOUND (February 2008)
Michael's note on this reads: "IPM (Intelligent Pop Music)" but I think
it could just as easily stand for "Interesting Pretty Music"or "Intersecting
Possibilities Meet" or "Italian Performer Mou, Lips!"... Alright, so the last
one doesn't work too well. The light yet complexly layered sounds on
this disc would work well for fans of Colleen or Curd Duca (remember
Curd Duca?). This is an album that will keep revealing new aspects of
itself with each successive listen while inspiring a good mood to shine
through even on psychologically cold and rainy days, like today.
(Jeffery Taylor)
Mou, Lips! is the work of Andrea Gabriele formerly of the Italian project
Tu m'; and here, Gabriele ventures into the digital headspace of pixel-point
abstraction with smartly placed hints of a pop sweet tooth. His tone-bent
digital errata and languid samples of intimately plucked classical guitar,
blurting trumpets, maudlin French horns, and scratchy violins from old '78s
return to some of the finer moments of post-pop electronica that Sonig and
Mille Plateaux were championing many years ago. Untree is a quirky and
playful album which lends itself to sounding like Terry Riley being redone by
Lithops and / or Vladislav Delay.
TOKAFI (June 2008)
A quirky dance of the elements: Everything that makes the world of
experimental music such a wonderful place. Everybody agrees that buying
your vegetables seasonally is the right thing to do. So why is this wisdom
never applied to music? “Untree” certainly fits the approaching mood of
Summer perfectly, an album which makes you feel all frisky and frolicsome
as the first rays of the sun tingle your face through the open window.
Certainly not the thing to expect from a CD labelled “Avant-garde” in the
press release. On the other hand, there are obvious indications that Andrea
Gabriele, formerly a member of T um' and now fostering Mou, Lips! next to
writing project-based soundtracks for companies like MTV or BMW, will
probably welcome the arrival of the warm season by spinning some Philipp
Glass records rather than roots Reggae.
At least in terms of rhythm, the pulsation principle reigns supreme, from the
declining reed figures of opener “non e colpa mia!” to the quirky dance of
the elements “cosa buena”. Jara Queeto guests on Trumpet, Ivan Solana
joins in on Bass Clarinet and many others add their bits and pieces here and
there, invigorating the airy electronic textures with an organic touch and
occasional Jazz references. Even though there is no information on the
recording procedure, “Untree” often sounds as though it could have been
improvised on the spot.
The only thing one could hold against this theory is the radical precision
Gabriele applies to his creations. Not even once extending beyond the length
of a pop single, his work is marked by the unhurried development of musical
ideas and by clear cuts once the thought has been brought to a conclusion.
William Basinski would stretch a track like “bora” to at least an hour – here,
it ends after barely three minutes.
The above mentioned comments already hint at the stylistic eclecticism to be
found on “Untree”. From acoustic guitar deconstructions, field recording-
infused dronescapes, backwards-loops coated with sugary glitches and
melancholic Ambient to heartwarming scenes of pastoral serenity (“still life
(s) live”), the record has almost everything on offer that makes the world of
accessible experimental music such a wonderful place – when experienced at
the right time.
Most people also agree that you need to consume products locally, in the
country where they were produced. My father, for example, still insists the
only time he really enjoyed a Martini Rosso was on a trip to Italy – the bottle
he brought home never really lived up to that. Here’s the difference with the
music comparison, though: As long as the sun is shining, you can listen to
and cherish “Untree” almost anywhere. (Tobias Fischer)
SMALLFISH (June 2008)
and/OAR offshoot mOAR delivers this very fine work from Mou, Lips! A little
more playful than the releases on the parent label, but absolutely brimming
with personality and melodic strangeness. Edits and chopped up samples
and perky, experimental live instruments collide with classic minimalist styles
and sounds (think 12k, Spekk etc) to make a very satisying album indeed -
almost like a slightly more out-there Sora. Check out all the samples, but
pay particular attention to the 4th one to see what I mean... absolutely
brilliant stuff. (Mike Oliver)
EARLABS (March 2008)
mOAR begins the explorations of and/OAR into complex and neatly
balanced expressions of garden-shed electronica - pristine surfaces mottled
with mildew and sundry glitches, which refract light and color into so many
dazzling directions. Italian act Mou, Lips! (essentially Andrea Gabriele,
formerly of Tu m', with assistance from others such as Stephen Vitiello)
serve as a more than apt guide for the labels first foray into this new land.
However incongruous the elements or surreal their juxtaposition, they inhabit
the same space in these tracks, and their playfully exposed and oddly off-
center yet considered arrangements ensure they are well defined. Many of
these audio collages stand out for their ability to create a sensation that
there is a very real acoustic space in which all of the sounds actually exist,
even if they sound a trifle unreal. Most, if not all, of the essential elements
seem present from the start: "Vit Virt" sees a trellis of sinuous woodwinds
and glistening ribbons of light orchestration bind like glue over a bed of fire-
cracker snaps and warm, soothing tones on "Michaela Aiuta Cenzina",
making for a clash and commingle of mood-colors like a sort of macabre
whimsy. As the album progresses, the ordering changes in deceptively
simple but significant ways, emphasizing now an idyllic flutter of electronics
like a slow dance of morning light, now a jazzy cascade of misty horns
overtop ectoplasmic tendrils, and finally later a crepuscular, cobwebby sound,
shot through with field recordings, lively and incoherent, and full-blooded,
hectic keyboard and glockenspiel lines. These works play very well on the
proximity of ecstasy and eeriness. A strong dual relationship is forged
between them, without either encroaching a great deal on the others
territory. For this reason, the very lightness of touch that affords the tracks a
sort of cutesiness also gives rise to a certain understatement and
intelligence, a certain purpose and sense of possibility that results in
fascinating patterns of overtones, which henceforth engage and otherwise
tease the former in a rather festive manner. All of this makes Untree an
invigorating and attractive set; a fine foundation from which to build.
(Max Schaefer)
WALL OF SOUND (February 2008)
Michael's note on this reads: "IPM (Intelligent Pop Music)" but I think
it could just as easily stand for "Interesting Pretty Music"or "Intersecting
Possibilities Meet" or "Italian Performer Mou, Lips!"... Alright, so the last
one doesn't work too well. The light yet complexly layered sounds on
this disc would work well for fans of Colleen or Curd Duca (remember
Curd Duca?). This is an album that will keep revealing new aspects of
itself with each successive listen while inspiring a good mood to shine
through even on psychologically cold and rainy days, like today.
(Jeffery Taylor)
SIGNAL TO NOISE (Winter 2008)
An adolescent glee dances across the sprightly silver surfaces of Untree, but
it’s that sense of precociousness, of a kid discovering their father’s (Pro)tool
(s)box in the attic and rummaging about in it, that makes this autodidactic
romp so endearing. As Mou, Lips!, Andrea Gabrielle launches and/OAR’s
sublabel with a bang—nothing is sacred, everything is permitted. Samples
and handheld acoustics are put through the (digital) ringer so that truly weird
hybrids emerge: “Non è Colpa Mia!” is like a laptop nationalist anthem with
a beat; “Vit Virt” a thick hide of stringstrung drone and dampened noise(s);
“Bora” a Hassell/Eno trope of delicately-hued, otherworldly ambience. A
virtual beehive rampant with ideas and imagery, Gabrielle’s obstreperous
dynamics cohere the last ten years of computer-assisted sound design into a
46-minute menagerie of magic realism. (Darren Bergstein)
KATHODIK (October 2008)
Il minimalismo che qualche tempo fa ci aveva proposto Andrea Sartori, ricco
di oggetti sonori live, field recording in sintonia con l'ambient, ritorna privato
della connessione con il dancefloor in questo bel disco dei Mou, lips!,
creazione sonica di Andrea Gabriele. La proposta aggancia inevitabilmente le
derive sabbiose dei Boards of Canada nel caldissimo incipit Non è colpa mia!
per poi spostarsi su un viaggio meditativo fatto di chitarre acustiche (for
INstruments), trombe e clarinetti trattati con anima retrò (still life(s) live),
voci che ricordano gli storici Lali Puna (untree, cosa buena) per poi
connettersi con la scuola illbient nel reshaping di suoni di Steve Vitiello
(vitiello tre mix).
L'ingrediente che salta all'orecchio è la stretta connessione con il jazz, quasi
una conferma che segue le prove dell'astro italo Gianluca Petrella o dei
maghi della contaminazione Cobblestone Jazz. Qui l'elettronica che si
mescola in infiniti sottogeneri 'minimal' è comunque legata all'ascolto e non
sembra essere proiettata nè per una destinazione dal vivo, nè per la pista
da ballo. Un nuovo e benefico ritorno alle estetiche di Intelligent Electronic
Music che spopolavano negli anni 90 con la Warp (vit virt e l'inevitabile
richiamo ad Aphex Twin nella conclusiva piano e bottiglie), fa pensare a
questo disco come all'ennesima conferma per un 2008 dominato
dall'ambient.
Un disco che speriamo venga ascoltato da qualche produttore illuminato.
Ottimo anche per successivi remix. Mangiamoci queste labbra al mou!
(Marco Braggion)
An adolescent glee dances across the sprightly silver surfaces of Untree, but
it’s that sense of precociousness, of a kid discovering their father’s (Pro)tool
(s)box in the attic and rummaging about in it, that makes this autodidactic
romp so endearing. As Mou, Lips!, Andrea Gabrielle launches and/OAR’s
sublabel with a bang—nothing is sacred, everything is permitted. Samples
and handheld acoustics are put through the (digital) ringer so that truly weird
hybrids emerge: “Non è Colpa Mia!” is like a laptop nationalist anthem with
a beat; “Vit Virt” a thick hide of stringstrung drone and dampened noise(s);
“Bora” a Hassell/Eno trope of delicately-hued, otherworldly ambience. A
virtual beehive rampant with ideas and imagery, Gabrielle’s obstreperous
dynamics cohere the last ten years of computer-assisted sound design into a
46-minute menagerie of magic realism. (Darren Bergstein)
KATHODIK (October 2008)
Il minimalismo che qualche tempo fa ci aveva proposto Andrea Sartori, ricco
di oggetti sonori live, field recording in sintonia con l'ambient, ritorna privato
della connessione con il dancefloor in questo bel disco dei Mou, lips!,
creazione sonica di Andrea Gabriele. La proposta aggancia inevitabilmente le
derive sabbiose dei Boards of Canada nel caldissimo incipit Non è colpa mia!
per poi spostarsi su un viaggio meditativo fatto di chitarre acustiche (for
INstruments), trombe e clarinetti trattati con anima retrò (still life(s) live),
voci che ricordano gli storici Lali Puna (untree, cosa buena) per poi
connettersi con la scuola illbient nel reshaping di suoni di Steve Vitiello
(vitiello tre mix).
L'ingrediente che salta all'orecchio è la stretta connessione con il jazz, quasi
una conferma che segue le prove dell'astro italo Gianluca Petrella o dei
maghi della contaminazione Cobblestone Jazz. Qui l'elettronica che si
mescola in infiniti sottogeneri 'minimal' è comunque legata all'ascolto e non
sembra essere proiettata nè per una destinazione dal vivo, nè per la pista
da ballo. Un nuovo e benefico ritorno alle estetiche di Intelligent Electronic
Music che spopolavano negli anni 90 con la Warp (vit virt e l'inevitabile
richiamo ad Aphex Twin nella conclusiva piano e bottiglie), fa pensare a
questo disco come all'ennesima conferma per un 2008 dominato
dall'ambient.
Un disco che speriamo venga ascoltato da qualche produttore illuminato.
Ottimo anche per successivi remix. Mangiamoci queste labbra al mou!
(Marco Braggion)
TOUCHING EXTREMES (December 2008)
There's a lot to enjoy in "Untree", the latest outing by Mou, Lips! (Andrea
Gabriele), despite that impossible-to-delete tendency - typical of the large
majority of today's Italian "avant-garde artists" (…) - to identify a little bit
too much with their inspirations, that grey area between partial originality
and copycat-ism that, voluntarily or less, makes an attentive listener quite
surprised at first, then - after having removed the glossy patina and the
bell-and-whistle factor - introduces the process of "This sounds like… This
was already made by…" and so forth. Although the same happened in part to
this writer following the third listen to this CD (especially in relation to tracks
that distinctly recall the work of Musci & Venosta some 20+ years earlier), my
opinion is positive. Gabriele knows how to deal with sampling, juxtaposing
the most disparate materials with excellent aesthetic facility without
exaggerating one way or another. Also to be appreciated is the exquisite
sense of humour demonstrated in certain sections: "Cosa Buena" is
definitely a masterpiece of light-heartedness with its engaging patterns and
stuttering baby voices. Finally, the metastatic electronic auras symbolized by
a piece such as "Bora" (Stephen Vitiello is here featured on guitar) are
enough for me to swipe imperfections and small superficialities under a
carpet of temporary forgetfulness and get pleasure from the scattered
remains of what once were charming whispers of luminescence.
(Massimo Ricci)
There's a lot to enjoy in "Untree", the latest outing by Mou, Lips! (Andrea
Gabriele), despite that impossible-to-delete tendency - typical of the large
majority of today's Italian "avant-garde artists" (…) - to identify a little bit
too much with their inspirations, that grey area between partial originality
and copycat-ism that, voluntarily or less, makes an attentive listener quite
surprised at first, then - after having removed the glossy patina and the
bell-and-whistle factor - introduces the process of "This sounds like… This
was already made by…" and so forth. Although the same happened in part to
this writer following the third listen to this CD (especially in relation to tracks
that distinctly recall the work of Musci & Venosta some 20+ years earlier), my
opinion is positive. Gabriele knows how to deal with sampling, juxtaposing
the most disparate materials with excellent aesthetic facility without
exaggerating one way or another. Also to be appreciated is the exquisite
sense of humour demonstrated in certain sections: "Cosa Buena" is
definitely a masterpiece of light-heartedness with its engaging patterns and
stuttering baby voices. Finally, the metastatic electronic auras symbolized by
a piece such as "Bora" (Stephen Vitiello is here featured on guitar) are
enough for me to swipe imperfections and small superficialities under a
carpet of temporary forgetfulness and get pleasure from the scattered
remains of what once were charming whispers of luminescence.
(Massimo Ricci)
DISQUIET (December 2008)
Mou, Lips! Untree was voted one of the best albums of 2008 by the readers
of Disquiet.com.
Mou, Lips! Untree was voted one of the best albums of 2008 by the readers
of Disquiet.com.
catalog number: moar1
artist: MOU, LIPS!
title: untree
format: CD
status: available
artist: MOU, LIPS!
title: untree
format: CD
status: available
