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The Band
Formed in Austin, Texas in 1990 it would take a geographical
move to Los Angeles to kick the band into gear. Initially
moving inside Hollywood’s music and art scene and offering an
unheard blend of blues, funk and rock and roll, the band’s
growing audience would in time help them get the attention of
executives at Epic/Sony who quickly signed them. After the
release of their self-titled debut recorded at LA’s Soundcastle
Studios in 1994, the band would go onto touring nationally with
Kyuss and Stabbing Westward and internationally with The Cult.
To the band’s dismay, the musical landscape of the time wasn’t
exactly bent on soulful rock and roll and the label’s lack of
support and crumbling internal relations would bring about their
first break-up.
The Record
The term ‘psycho blues’ (which is used in the band’s official
site to describe their sound) is more than appropriate. The
overall sound of their debut makes the band come off like a
rough rock and roll band that’s taken the blues path but has
decided to do so in their own terms. Mother Tongue, the record,
is powerful and aggressive yet unlike most blues records often
replaces the genre’s defining sadness for utter despair and a
hopeless sense of vindictiveness. Opening track “Broken” opens
slowly, timidly perhaps with wah wah guitars that are quickly
overtaken by a psycho blues solo. The tempo is mid-paced and one
thing is for sure; Mother Tongue ain’t your typical blues band.
And it ain’t your typical rock band either. For an opening track
this is surprisingly paused, full of heaviness and tenderness,
with conflicting moods alternating and the sometimes out
there/sometimes fragile approach of bassist vocalist David
Gould.
One thing that’s evident right from the start is the thick
fat-bottomed production, courtesy of Mario Caldato Jr (famous
for his production work with The Beastie Boys), the record has
this powerful sound that gives every instrument the same
importance. Let’s think about the times for a second; 1994 was
the age of grunge, a genre that made good use of independent
punk rock producers; to their advantage Caldato’s work emphasized most of the hard
rock aspects of Mother Tongue instead of the blues, a genre that
around the time had seen its sound diluted by too much polish and
excessive sheen.
Second song “Mad World” is a perfect example of the band’s
quirks and unique edges. With a cirque-sque guitar playing in the
background and a second guitar giving it pause, the music
perfectly reflects the thematic preoccupations of the band. What
other sound could reflect this theme more perfectly than a guitar that seems to
be weaving a spiderweb. On top of that the eloquent vocals of
Gould reminding us that indeed, we inhabit a mad world. “Burn
Baby” is pretty blues by default; with a down melody that
quickly turns into an odd track with multiple stop-starts, is
just another side for a band that was at the time truly forging
a unique sound. ‘Memphis blues is on the news, and the cities
are burning, and your town is aflame’, this is sparse music
for pyromaniacs. Towards the last minute the songs goes awry,
with edginess and ugliness. “Vesper” opens sweetly; with
violins, acoustic guitars, almost whispered vocals and a
bittersweet melody, it gradually and radically blooms into a
full-on rocker. “Sheila’s Song” takes another turn, with its
funky and soulful vibe, Chili-esque bassline and mellow chorus,
it represents Mother Tongue at its most basic; this is a band of
at least three faces, this is the boys in chill mode.
“The Seed” is another dark number. Quiet, sparse, of dim
lights, paused basslines, shy wah-wah guitars and lyrics that
disturbingly state, ‘come on daddy fuck me if you dare, can’t
you see I’m crazy?’ , this track, like anything Mother
Tongue had done up to this point, does come to a boiling point.
“Damage” is one of the key tracks of the record; heavy on the
bass and followed by guitars that mimic the bassline, is another
one of those raging tunes that carefully and roughly walk the
thin line between dirty rock and funk. The track has this idle
mid-tempo that 2:35 minutes into it; breaks its mold and bashes
away some troglodyte hard rock via this relentless chord note
playing. The vocals of Gould are rough and disturbed, warning
that, ‘I’m gonna damage’. Listening to it is believing
it. Up to this point, this album is a scorcher.
“Fear of Night” tries and retries the band formula; bass
that’s as prominent as the guitar, and guitars that are as funky
as the bass serve as backbone for a band that doesn’t
necessarily make music to get your groove on. The thing is there
is groove all around, but mostly the melodies are introspective
and seem to veer toward the inner humanity or the seedier sides
of a mundane life perhaps. “So Afraid”, is out of focus, sounds
like it belongs somewhere else and it totally lacks the punch
that the guitars provide to Mother Tongue’s sound. Perhaps there
is a reason why this song is so short. Lucky for us “Venus
Beach” is gorgeous; it has a Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe to it,
but it precedes Flea and company in the introspective and
bittersweet melodies. “Entity” is another mellow number but it
lacks the spark of the first half and closing song “Using Your
Guns” with its condemning gloomy mood, simply serves as the
sonic palette what sounds like recited poetry.
The After
By the time touring was over relationships inside the band
were crumbling. Musically, everyone was pulling in different
directions, and aided by the lack of support and the public’s
indifference, the band called it quits. Europe has since the
beginning been a kinder land to this band, and in 1996 Germany’s
Interloper Records released Broken, a collection of old,
new and demo material. After reuniting in 2001, the band would
record the full-length Streetlight in 2002 and the EP
Ghost Note in 2003, both under the German label
Nois-O-Lution label. In 2004, the band would release the Now
Or Never EP. All these releases are highly recommendable.
Mother Tongue continues to tour Europe and the States and have a
record ready for release in 2007 as soon as the stars line up.
Why Should You Care?
Mother Tongue’s debut is highly underrated. Unfavorable
climate, a unique sound that had little radio appeal and the
lack of push of a major label have converted this release into a
cult record. To this day, the convergence of funk, rock and
punk has been executed repeatedly, but no one has done it and
has emerged with a product as vibrant as Mother Tongue did it
back in 1994. You can snatch used copies of it for as low as
$0.35.
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