Mug Museum… Getting a handle on it

Review: Cate Le Bon – Mug Museum

Published on November 18th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams

Whereas last year’s CYRK framed its wonky odd-pop in a more nocturnal setting – very well too, as our review testifies to – Cate Le Bon’s third album Mug Museum is resplendent in unseasonable sunshine.

Le Bon’s understated singing style skims satisfyingly over the layer of good-natured jangle, inhabiting a cocoon of comfort from which it breaks out only sparingly, making the isolated moments of extroverted eccentricity all the more striking for it.

“Duke” is wonderful, like something from The Velvet Underground & Nico, even if Le Bon must be sick of all the Nico references.

She needn’t worry: with such sweetly peculiar/peculiarly sweet turns of phrase as “The weather licked your face dry” in her arsenal, she’s very much her own character.

Tooting fairground keys dance round jagged swipes of dirty guitar on the surprisingly Can-ish “Wild”, “Mirror Me” reminds us of Barafundle-era Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci in its elegant way, while the majestically sparse piano lament of the closing title track is frequently punctuated by what sounds like a gaggle of clarinets preparing to say something then thinking better of it.

It’s wall-to-wall delightful is what it is. Again.

Mug Museum is out now on Turnstile.

You can buy Mug Museum on iTunes and on Amazon.

Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!

a quail a quail a quail a quail

Artists: cate le bon

About the Author

Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.