Icelandic musician and songwriter Mugison usually performs alone with his rasping blues voice, raw guitar and laptop. His third album sees him liberated from his portable pc in exchange for a real live rhythm section. The band are a solid blues force as those who saw them supporting Queens of the Stone Age in Canada in May will testify. Aka Orn Elias Guomundsson’s latest musical work is rammed with big riffs, exciting vocal howls, full on earthy blues and impossibly tender moments. But there’s more to this album than pastiche rock 'n’ roll. Each song, whether in your face rock, or on the sensitive side, has a big chunk of heart and soul on clear display.
The Great Unrest is a melancholy delight of swishing drums and strings, and shades of Jeff Buckley passion. My Love I Love is stripped down from the heart acoustic blues, like the tear inducing Deep Breathing. At the other end of the spectrum is the fat chunky title track, while I’m Alright is a beautifully horrible heavy mental roar with enchanting and sinister orchestration. And Two Thumb Sucking Son of a Boyo is a big thumping tom and fat riff blast.
The strength of the album is Mugison’s soulful vocals and imagination affording him a unique blues/rock interpretation. Mugiboogie is surprisingly tender amid some down right dirty, sex driven raw blues. And look out for the leather look cd packaging complete with artistically ordained lyrical booklet.
www.myspace.com/mugisonRob Barnett, Music News
