What
an amazing album. If it's a myriad of creative/relative
subject matter you seek when on the prowl for your next favorite
album - meet ShiShiMuMu. At the time this album was committed
to tape, this Maine 5-piece answered to the Ponys. A few years
[about five-ish] and a name change later [now known as Phantom
Buffalo] - ShiShiMuMu
and all of its firsthand charm remain intact.
{this
album has previously been documented very
well here}
Upon
my first twenty+ listens to this LP last
year, I was comfortable in telling everyone I knew about these
Ponys while comparing their upbeat peppiness to early Of Montreal
[see: "A Hilly Town", "Domestic Pet Growing Seeds"].
My early comparison had a valid case: Jonathan Balzano-Brookes
leads the Pony/Buffalo crew with a high & nasal vocal delivery,
leading the listener through tales of best friend bugs ["Wilamena"]
and the search for a mother's lost parachute ["The Missing
Parachute"].
Then the holidays
of '06 happened - my relationship/family life took a complete
nosedive towards pastures of quicksand manure. I died in my own
mind - one giant leap {backwards} for mankind. [« 3 minutes
of eerie silence here »] Then, early this year I was reunited
with this unique audio companion, and I had a [wholly] new perspective.
ShiShiMuMu - while saturated in sugary warmth - masked
layers of blue-period thought. Shipwreck'd opener "Golden
Finish" seems to be about death by drowning ["if
you want to go this slowly / let the ocean pull your body"
x 30] - all of a sudden the romantic [and fave] "Anywhere
With Oxygen" spoke so clearly: "It
makes me sad to know where all the people go while the kids are
home getting older all alone". Oh ShiShi,
I am so very glad we met - then, now & again.
ShiShiMuMu
needs to be held, heard and recycled through every person you
meet. It is essential - every song inside
this beautiful gatefold package will better your life and your
environment. Was this album actually recorded in 18 hours? Originally
released in 2002?! Amazing album - the track
order, the content, the artwork. 'Nuff said. Buy 2.
"I
dreamt of Windsor Castle, it seems rather chilly for July - my
bones are aching through my skin, my body half resembles pie".
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