Mouth Premiere “Turn the Lie” Video; Vortex Redux Reissue

Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 8th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

mouth vortex redux band pic

This past Friday, classically progressive heavy rockers Mouth released Vortex Redux through This Charming Man Records. And though ‘redux’ in a heavy context has come to be associated with Magnetic Eye Records‘ ongoing album-tribute series, no, this is not Mouth or anyone else covering their own album. Remastered with the included bonus track “Turn the Lie” (video premiering below) and liner notes by yours truly.

The Köln-based trio — now comprised of guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Christian Koller, drummer/keyboardist Nick Mavridis and bassist Thomas Johnen, who made his first appearance on last year’s Getaway (review here) in the role previously filled by Gerald Kirsch — originally released Vortex (review here) in 2017 through Al!ve/Blunoise Records as an eight-years-later follow-up to their debut, Rhizome, but really, it was the point at which their proggy intent found its fruition. With underlying influence from the heavier end of the style and a modern cast on vintage ideologies, they’ve been able to position themselves in both worlds as a band whose foundation is in prog textures with keys and retro organs and synth and melodies and all that stuff mixed with the occasional let-loose of a thicker shove.

It’s a fine line and Mouth dance all over it, but you’ll pardon me if I leave the analysis there. I’ve both reviewed this album AND I wrote the liner notes below in blue — as opposed to the usual ‘bio I wrote’ tag I apply in situations where editorial and promotional lines are blurred (always uncomfortable; full disclosure, I actually don’t remember if I was compensated or not for the below writing; I’m terrible with money and knowing things generally; see also ‘incompetent’) — that begin with “Welcome…” and end where they end. Seems like plenty, so if you’re still reading at all and haven’t already started the clip, I’ll just say that that whole “prog + fun” equation alluded to above is exactly what comes to life here, and in close-up style.

Plenty more of my blah blah blah follows — I didn’t even know they were using the notes as promo copy until the record was out, but fair enough — and the clip’s three minutes and weird and kind of lo-fi, which somehow makes it more of a good time. But you’re right in the box with them, so I hope you’ve showered recently. Nobody wants to be the one stinking up the practice space.

Please enjoy:

Mouth, “Turn the Lie” video premiere

mouth vortex redux

This is the bonus track of the redux version of MOUTH’s second album VORTEX.
Order the new mastered and reworked album here:

https://thischarmingmanrecords.de/produkt/mouth-vortex-redux-col-12/

camera: Jerome Crutsen

Welcome to the definitive Vortex. The LP you’re holding has been on a journey, and no, not just shipping. Mouth’s second after 2009’s Rhizome, Vortex was mostly recorded in 2011 and 2012 over five sessions in a small space where the band rehearsed. Material was pieced together intermittently over a period of 11 months with Chris Koller handling guitar, keys and bass and Nick Mavridis on drums. That’s where it started. Two construction projects: the studio and a recording that would help define the course of the band in classic and melodic progressive rock, happening almost simultaneously in a creative meta-narrative that could easily stand as analog for the depth of pieces like “Into the Light” or the sprawling “Vortex” itself, which opens the record (new and old editions) in an encompassing display of impulse and fluidity

Through experiments in atmosphere like “March of the Cyclopes” and toward the finish of “Epilogue,” Mouth married sounds that in other contexts would come up disparate, like finding a hidden magnetism between two north poles.

Most of the Vortex songs were created on the spot in the studio.There would be no way to know it at the time, but this process would result in a collection of songs with a broad range, within as well as between the component tracks. “Parade” taps Sly Stone on the shoulder and asks if he wants to party (he does), while the penultimate “Soon After…” resonates with its smoky, mellow-jazz vibe. “Vortex” itself happens over six movements and was put together across different sessions, while “Epilogue” happened in a day.

Dissatisfaction with the original mix – and when an album has as much put into its arrangements as Vortex, that balance matters – would lead Mouth to offer Out of the Vortex in 2020 as a collection of alternate versions of pieces like “Mountain” and “Parade,” as well as the unreleased “Ready” and “Homagotago’s Paddle Boat Trip,” the latter an apparent successor to a cut from Floating. But sometimes a thing nestles itself into the back of your head and just won’t leave, and Mouth’s pursuit of a finished Vortex would lead them into the studio again.

Koller handled the remix himself in Oct. 2023, and in addition to helming the new master, krautrock legend Eroc (who drummed in Grobschnitt) brought a gong to mark the beginning of “March of the Cyclopes.” Like a lot of the finer touches on this Vortex, be it a hashed-out stretch in the title-track built on a drum/bass jam or just pulling the vocals and Hammond down a bit in “Epilogue,” the result is a stylistic flourishing that was there all along throughout the journey and now can finally shine as the band intended. – JJ Koczan / Dec. 2023

Pressing Info:
100 copies black (mailorder edition)
400 copies purple transparent wax
-> all copies come with a fold out poster

Mouth, Vortex Redux (2024)

Mouth on Facebook

Mouth on Instagram

Mouth on Bandcamp

Mouth on Soundcloud

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This Charming Man Records on Bandcamp

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Freak Valley Festival 2024 Makes First Lineup Announcement

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

I have every intention of being at Freak Valley Festival 2024 when it takes place next May into June, and given the first 11 acts to be announced for its lineup, I’m already glad for that. Yes, no doubt Monolord will crush and I just saw 1000mods like a week ago so I know they’re killing it, but the chance to see the likes of Daevar or Fuzzy GrassSpeckMouthFull Earth (begat by Kanaan) and Slomosa, the young Norwegian outfit at the potential spearhead of a new generation of Euro heavy rock — the kind of band who’ll be headlining in a few years if they keep putting the work in like they are and the songs hold up. Already there’s stuff I never thought I’d see, stuff I’ve seen and know will be awesome, and stuff I haven’t seen that I want to see. Call that a win for a first announcement.

I wrote a decent portion of the below, but some was added, so I’m not gonna take full credit or anything like that. Nonetheless, as posted on socials:

freak valley 2024 first announcement

Freak Valley Festival 2024 Lineup Announcement!

Ladies and gentlemen, freaks of all ages, get ready to rock your world at Freak Valley Festival 2024! We’re thrilled to unveil the first part of an incredible lineup featuring some of the most electrifying bands from around the globe.
Freak Valley 2024 is set for May 30 – June 1.

You’ve already seen that Early Freak Tickets are on sale for Sept. 30 at Vortex Surfer in Siegen, and Regular Tickets again Oct. 2. Online sales start Oct. 3 and tickets hit local shops on Oct. 4.
But enough about that!!

You’ve been waiting, we’ve been waiting, and the first band we’re ready to unveil for Freak Valley Festival 2024 is MONOLORD.

The Swedish kingpins of plus-sized riffs were last with us in 2019. Will they be back with a new album next summer? It’s cool to hope so, but either way, you can’t go wrong when Monolord come to crush, which they always do.

They’ll be joined by Greek heavy rock kingpins 1000MODS, Norwegian upstarts SLOMOSA — whose second record will be out by June — and ALEX HENRY FOSTER who you might remember was supposed to play in 2023, as well as DŸSE, SPECK, DAEVAR and FUZZY GRASS from France.

Newcomer Kanaan-offshoot FULL EARTH will join us from from Norway and long-running Chilean sludge outfit DEMONAUTA will grace our stage for the first time.

Rounding out this first announcement closer to home, we’ll bring Köln heavy prog stalwarts MOUTH on board, heralding this year’s ‘Getaway’ LP, which is must-hear if you haven’t!

(#128266#) Here’s the star-studded lineup:

Monolord – 1000mods – Dÿse – Slomosa – Alex Henry Foster – Mouth – Speck – Demonauta- Full Earth- Fuzzy Grass – Daevar

All killers, no fillers. That’s how we do it, freaks. Get your tickets now because they’ll be gone before you know it.

Prepare for an unforgettable weekend filled with mind-blowing performances, heavy riffs, and an atmosphere that’ll keep you rocking all night long. Freak Valley Festival 2024 is set to be an absolute musical extravaganza!

https://www.facebook.com/freakvalley
https://www.instagram.com/freakvalleyfestival/
https://twitter.com/FreakValley
http://www.rockfreaks.de/
http://www.freakvalley.de/

Monolord, It’s All the Same (2023)

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Review & Track Premiere: Mouth, Getaway

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on June 7th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Mouth Getaway

[Click play above to stream Mouth’s ‘On the Boat.’ Their new album, Getaway, is out Friday on This Charming Man Records. Preorders are available here: https://thischarmingmanrecords.de/produkt/mouth-getaway-col-lp/]

A bit of drift to start and soon enough, “Getaway” is gone. The organ is the tell. Movement, in movements. Soon, German trio Mouth are fully immersed in the classic prog boogie of the title-track to their fourth full-length. Getaway is comprised of six tracks and totals 44 minutes, 22 of which are dedicated to “Getaway” — all of side A — which serves as opener and longest cut (immediate points) as well as the beginning of the narrative that plays out across the total span. To put it to scale, the next longest piece on side B is “Asylum/Sea” at 5:59, so it’s a significant jump in methodology from one half of the record to the other, but the Cologne-based Mouth have been at this a while now, and though bassist Thomas Johnen (also some guitar) makes his first studio-LP appearance here alongside guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Christian Koller and drummer/keyboardist Nick Mavridis, he’s actually been in the band since 2019, taking the place of Gerald Kirsch, who remains credited with at least some of the low end on the album.

Either way, Mouth know what they’re doing. Self-produced by the band and mixed by Mavridis and Johnen (Eroc at Mastering Ranch mastered), Getaway follows five years after Mouth‘s last full-length, 2018’s Floating (review here), although they did release the Past Present Future (review here) compilation in 2019 and reissue their 2009 debut, Rhizome, in 2020. Still, as Floating arrived just a year after 2017’s Vortex (review here), the five-year stretch between LPs is notable, but readily explained between the lineup change and global catastrophe.

One might also wonder over just how long a period Getaway was recorded and, particularly in the case of its title-track — an obvious focal point since it takes up half the record and shares its name — how it was built up to flow as smoothly as it does, working through classic prog boogie into psych rock and coming out clean on the other side with a smoothly punctuated verse 16 minutes in, organ and acoustic and electric guitar all intertwining behind storytelling that, whether it’s ’70s or ’90s-inspired is anyone’s guess, but that feels natural when the solo starts and wouldn’t have been out of place 10 years ago on Elektrohasch; yes, I’m thinking of Hypnos 69.

The hidden message of “Getaway” — which blows itself out vocally on the repeated line “We dance in the underground” (please note: we do not all dance) before gradually hypnotizing around various melodies, some Mellotron floating in, light vocals, and so on, in its last three minutes — is one of plot. That solo (it begins at 17:37) is only a few measures long before the distorted vocals take over, but it underscores the point that even so far into such a willfully expansive piece they’d still hold firm to their intention. Part of the ending feels improvised, from about 19:15 through 20:15, but the keyboard and quiet vocals, organ, et al, that pick up from there to finish are both a welcome build and a mapped-out course. Mouth are not lacking structure really in any of Getaway, and even in letting go, the title-track stands as a clear demonstration of what they can do within the given sprawl of their sound.

Platter flip and “On the Boat” (premiering above) leads off side B and rocks harder around a comparatively straightforward central groove and hook, the vocals picking up with the farther-back-and-distorted; think “Cat’s foot, iron claw/Neurosurgeon screams for more” à la King Crimson, but with a heavy push from the drums and an insistent progression of organ, guitar and bass to coincide, twisting into the falsetto chorus, looping back through toward a solo and final chorus to end, transitioning smoothly to the instrumental “Asylum/Sea.”

Mouth

So, quickly momentum takes a different form on side B, and there’s a narrative to Getaway that’s apparent just from the names of the songs — “Getaway” on side A, while side B is “On the Boat,” “Asylum/Sea,” “Purge and Hunt,” “Once” and “Drowning” — and if Mouth are writing about Europe’s ongoing refugee crisis, fair enough for their not forcing a happy ending where one doesn’t always go. “Asylum/Sea” finds its melodic stretchout in the Mellotron, and Mavridis‘ snare is tight and cuts through, but not so much as to disturb the quiet of the waves that surround it, where “Purge and Hunt” is more urgent in its organ-rock shove and more purposefully brash in its crashes and lead twists of guitar initially.

A break after about 2:40 into the total 5:41 marks the launch point for an exploratory part that’s mellower and seems to have some Rhodes or other kind of vintage-sounding keys worked in around sustained guitar drone and jazzy drums, but it’s the organ line that holds past the finish and that lets the funky “Once” pick up from there with its short but atmospheric bounce. It might be garage rock but for all the keyboards, but you’d never know it with the finer detailing that surrounds, and that keeps it consistent with the material prior, be it “Purge and Hunt” or “Getaway” itself.

The layers of keys, gentle melodicism and drumless rhythm of “Drowning” lend it something of an epilogue feel, but if that’s how the story ends — i.e. with the depicted refugees drowning — then it is an essential facet of the story itself. There are no lyrics, so they leave it at least somewhat open to interpretation, but as with “Asylum/Sea” finding a calm moment between the excitement of “On the Boat” and “Purge and Hunt,” Mouth imbue “Drowning” with a sense of melancholy for its sub-three-minutes that rises from silence, establishes its layers of organ/synth, holds its dirge, and drops to silence as if to leave you asking what happens next.

Ideally we all give money to Greenpeace and like-minded organizations, but either way, that the story being depicted throughout aligns naturally with what the instruments and lyrics are doing is another level of showcase through which Getaway feels so well considered. It is not overwrought or too thought out, not flat or lacking passion, but there’s a thread woven through the songs that brings them together, an energy in the listening, that makes the entire procession feel carefully sculpted, even in its off-the-cuff moments. This may be business as usual for Mouth on paper, but in hearing the album, their sense of guiding the audience through the songs — instrumentally and in terms of the narrative — is palpable, and whether they’re psyched-out, dug-in or just plain ol’ heavy rocking, they remain sure in what they want to do. The results are all the more satisfying for that.

Mouth, Getaway (2023)

Mouth on Facebook

Mouth on Instagram

Mouth on Bandcamp

Mouth on Soundcloud

Mouth linktr.ee

This Charming Man Records website

This Charming Man Records on Facebook

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Mouth Sign to This Charming Man; New Album Getaway Due This Summer

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 20th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Heretofore undervalued classic progressive rockers Mouth would seem to be at the starting point of the promotional cycle for their next album. Their fourth studio LP overall, it’s titled Getaway, which bodes well for anyone perhaps seeking escapist pastoralia, and will see release this summer as their first collaboration with the of-venerable-taste This Charming Man Records. I know precious little about the record to be issued beyond the title, but the Köln-based trio have been dutifully posting social media updates on its status, and it looks like the show they played on Feb. 11 doubled maybe as a celebration of having finished the mastering. If that’s not true, then at least they’re close to it. “Finishing touches,” and all that.

The otherwise latest release from Mouth — also stylized all-lowercase: mouth — is 2020’s Out of the Vortex, which featured alternate versions and off-LP tracks from the sessions for their direction-defining 2017 sophomore full-length, Vortex (review here), which set them on a path of warm and spacious prog, linked in aesthetic to the early ’70s and readily acknowledging that as a key influence. The band’s roots go back to the turn of the century, which was celebrated on 2019’s compilation, Past Present Future (review here), and one looks forward to hearing four years after that how the ‘future’ portion might manifest on Getaway. May we all have a lounger reserved for us on Prog Island.

The band posted the following announcement on the aforementioned socials, keeping it quick and to the point. Hopefully I’ll have more to come on the album before summer gets here.

Dig:

Mouth

We are proud to announce we are now part of the THIS CHARMING MAN familiy. We signed the contract for our 6th release (4th longplayer studio album) GETAWAY said to be released on vinyl on this magnificent record label this summer!

MOUTH:
Christian Koller: vocals, guitars & keyboards
Thomas Johnen: bass
Nick Mavridis: drums, keyboards

https://www.facebook.com/mouthsound/
https://mouthprog.bandcamp.com/
http://www.soundcloud.com/mouthprog
https://linktr.ee/mouth_prock

http://www.thischarmingmanrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Thischarmingmanrecords/
https://www.instagram.com/thischarmingmanrecords/
https://thischarmingmanrecords.bandcamp.com/

Mouth, Out of the Vortex (2020)

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Mouth to Reissue Debut LP Rhizome Dec. 4

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 21st, 2020 by JJ Koczan

German classic proggers Mouth will release their debut album, Rhizome, on vinyl through Tonzonen in December. It’s the first time the record, which originally came out in 2009, has come out on the format, and it’s been duly remastered to mark the occasion. Those who’ve come aboard with the band since its release, like myself, should be ready for something different than the somewhat more peaceful vibes of their second era work, but there’s still plenty of progressive stylization to the songs on Rhizome, blended with an energy that speaks to even harder rocking roots. Preorders, as they say, are up now.

Mouth‘s latest offering otherwise is this year’s Out of the Vortex, a collection of alternate mixes and lost tracks from their last two full-lengths. You can stream that as well as the original master of Rhizome below, courtesy of the band’s Bandcamp.

Dig:

mouth rhizome

MOUTH – RHIZOME (2020 Master)

Release: 12-4-20

Preorder now: https://www.tonzonen.de/rhizome/

The cult album by Mouth appears for the first time on vinyl. Remastered by Eroc (rough cut) the songs experience a completely new sound. For TZ subscribers and the first to order, the cover motif is included as a limited screen print (100 pieces).

MOUTH were formed in Cologne in 2000 as a trio, comprised of Christian Koller (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Jan Wendeler (bass, bass synth) and Nick Mavridis (drums, backing vocals, keyboards).

The band’s style is a blend of ‘golden era’ progressive rock – with influential names such are YES, GENESIS, GENTLE GIANT, SOFT MACHINE, HATFIELD & THE NORTH; as well as classic rock/hard rock and prog related names old and new: LED ZEPPELIN, THE WHO, DAVID BOWIE, T.REX and FISH. In 2007 they were offered to record an album, and their debut ‘Rhizome’, released for Bluenoise label, saw the light of the day two years later. Nearly at the same time Nick Mavridis left the band and was substituted by Thomas Ahlers until Mavridis re-entered the crew in 2010.

Jan Wendler left in 2012 and Gerald Kirsch joined as the new bass player since 2013. During the next years the band recorded a lot of songs, with the result of the albums ‘Vortex’ (2017) and ‘Floating’ (2018), both highly acclaimed productions showing way more kraut and psychedelic rock attitude. After the death of Gerald Kirsch (2018) the band went on a short hiatus, but could already announce Thomas Johnen as a new member in March 2019.

LP: 200 pieces (black high quality vinyl, inside out cover, download card, 100x screen printing)

https://www.facebook.com/mouthsound/
https://mouthprog.bandcamp.com/
http://www.soundcloud.com/mouthprog
https://www.facebook.com/Tonzonen/
https://www.instagram.com/tonzonenrecords/
https://www.tonzonen.de

Mouth, Rhizome (2009)

Mouth, Out of the Vortex (2020)

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Mouth Premiere “Coffee” from Past Present Future

Posted in audiObelisk on May 23rd, 2019 by JJ Koczan

MOUTH

Space freaks and prog heads, unite! Or, if not, at least chill out for a bit. This summer, Tonzonen will present Mouth‘s Past Present Future collection as a four-track 10″ EP, which in its digital form sets about compiling work that spans some 18 years of material — appropriately enough, the oldest track is the grunge-riffed closer “Youth,” from 2001 — for a 34-minute span that is, as one might expect, kind of all over the place. It’s a document of how far Mouth have come and, indeed, where they might be headed, as the 2018 track “Steamship Shambles” proves to be some of the band’s most experimentalist prog-jazz fusion to date while still managing as well to be drenched in melody. The live-sounding weird-out “Chase ’72” brings nine minutes of jammy exploration, and a new mix of “Into the Light” from 2017’s Vortex (review here) highlights the whirling synthesizer later in the track. From the opening organ line of “Coffee” onward, it’s an offering full of twists and turns that by its very nature is more EP than album, despite what might otherwise be a full-length runtime, jumping between different recording sessions and, occasionally, styles as it does.

The Cologne, Germany-based proggers have settled over time on a decidedly traditionalist approach, taking influence from the more winding aspects of heavy ’70s keyboard-infused adventurers, but Past Present Future unveils some of the roots of where that mouth past present futurecomes from, with “Coffee,” “Stillsad” and “Youth” adding complexity to the tale in shorter execution and more straightforward verse/chorus structuring. Especially considering those songs are the better part of 20 years old — “Stillsad” is from 2002 — they hold up remarkably well, though in the case of “Coffee,” it’s past and present coming together as guitarist/vocalist Christian Koller went back into the original recording and added keys. Mouth of course dealt with the passing of bassist Gerald Kirsch last year, and Koller and drummer Nick Mavridis have come back together with Thomas Johnen handling low end to begin playing shows in August around the time of Past Present Future‘s release, so it’s entirely possible the compilation is a way for the band to reconcile with their own history and begin to move forward from the tragedy of that loss — the potential “future” portion of the title.

Whatever the case, whether it’s the brief excursion of the almost-a-capella “March of the Cyclopes (A Capella Mix)” or the kitchen-sink, everything-is-music vibe that runs through “Steamship Shambles” — a 17-minute version of which is available in the digital edition — Mouth make their progressivism clear in these tracks even from their relatively rudimentary beginnings. There’s no question they’ve developed as a group over time, but in both “past” and “present,” and likely in “future” as well, their commitment to thoughtful songwriting and pushing themselves forward creatively is right there in the material waiting to be heard.

So hear it. Ahead of Past Present Future‘s slated August release on Tonzonen, I’m happy to host the premiere of “Coffee,” which again is a standout on the EP for its direct blend of old and new recordings. Koller gives some comment about the track below, and if you’d like to read more, the complete liner notes for the outing are posted here.

Please enjoy:

Mouth, “Coffee” official track premiere

Christian Koller on “Coffee”:

Well, I think that I can’t really add something new to the liner notes except that the song was a tiny bit influenced by System of Down’s “Chop Suey!” Haha… The song structure is very similar considering the pop bridge. New Metal was the thing in early 2002 and I hated it but I loved the structure of that song so I borrowed it. Just a youthful folly.

“Coffee” was actually covered by another band from Hagen (Nick’s hometown) back in the days. I saw the band performing it once. That was quite nice. I felt really honored.

MOUTH – Past-Present-Future
(Tonzonen 2019)
1. Coffee (2002/2018)
2. Chase‘72 (2017)
3. Into the Light (alternate mix)
4. Steamship Shambles (2018)
5. March of the Cyclopes (a cappella mix)
6. Stillsad (2002)
7. Youth (2001)

The Tonzonen EP version is going to be a vinyl only release but we will also purchase a digital version via Bandcamp.

The vinyl version consists of tracks 1-4. Furthermore the vinyl version of “Steamship Shambles” is edited to 6:11 minutes. [The digital version] is the super extended version.

Tracks 5-7 are only digital bonus tracks.

Mouth is:
Nick Mavridis: Drums
Thomas Johnen: Bass
Christian Koller: Guitar / Keyboards / Vocals

Mouth on Thee Facebooks

Mouth on Bandcamp

Mouth on Soundcloud

Tonzonen Records on Thee Facebooks

Tonzonen Records on Instagram

Tonzonen Records website

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Mouth to Release Past Present Future in August; Playing Krach am Bach

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 10th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

German semi-retro progressive rockers Mouth will in August release a new collection titled Past Present Future that, indeed, collects material new and old spanning an 18-year history of the band. Issuing through Tonzonen, the arrival of Past Present Future coincides with the band making their return to the stage at this year’s Krach am Bach festival — playing alongside Kadavar, Spidergawd, Naxatras, Atavismo and others — that will be their first live show since the passing of their bassist Gerald Kirsch and recently-announced regrouping with Thomas Johnen handling low end. Mouth‘s last release was a limited Alterna Sounds Festival live record (discussed here) that captured their final show with Kirsch in the band.

The new vinyl with digital bonus tracks would seem to be a way to reckon with what the band’s been through in terms of personal trauma while express their continued desire to move forward creatively. In addition to the basic release info, Mouth also sent the liner notes for Past Present Future that you can see below.

Enjoy:

mouth past present future

MOUTH – PAST PRESENT FUTURE 10″

The Tonzonen EP version is going to be a vinyl only release but we will also purchase a digital version via Bandcamp.

The vinyl version consists of tracks 1-4. Furthermore the vinyl version of “Steamship Shambles” is edited to 6:11 minutes. [The digital version] is the super extended version.

Tracks 5-7 are only digital bonus tracks.

MOUTH – Past-Present-Future
(Tonzonen 2019)
1. Coffee (2002/2018)
2. Chase‘72 (2017)
3. Into the Light (alternate mix)
4. Steamship Shambles (2018)
5. March of the Cyclopes (a cappella mix)
6. Stillsad (2002)
7. Youth (2001)

Liner notes:

Side A
Coffee* 3:56
As if Led Zeppelin recorded a jingle together with The Move and John Barry for a Starbucks advertisement in 1972.

The Song was originally recorded in spring 2002. It’s a little tongue-in-cheek thing. I used drink a lot of coffee in those while I was learning for my university exams. In a way its my personal drug song. Last year after Gerald’s death I was browsing some of our very old recordings and I found this lovely peace of rock. Anyway, I played around the recording and added some classical MOUTH keys to it. Finally it sounded like a typical 2018 MOUTH song.

Chase’72** 8:58
This is an impromptu live studio jam from 2017 which sounds a bit like movie score from the early seventies, maybe Dirty Harry.

Side B
Into The Light*** 7:05
This is my original mix which was finally dropped by our late producer and label boss Guido Lucas. For me this is the real version. I’m not a big fan of the album version because the song doesn’t really kick the way it was supposed to be but I think that this version is close to perfection.

Steamship Shambles**** 6:11
This almost experimental peace is based on a basic studio recording from January 2018 and a homerecording demo from 2011. Nick is responsible for all the instruments, (kitchen-) sounds, mixing and editing, except hammond, lead guitar & mellotron. It’s a bit like a Ummagamma studio experiment.

Bonus tracks:
March of the Cyclopes
It’s an a cappella mix minus the basic tracks. I like it because you can actually hear what the choir is singing. Haha.

Stillsad
This is a very early example of a typical MOUTH song in those days. It could have been the B-Side to „Coffee“. This is a studio recording from early 2002. We were able to use a very nice studio for free between 23:00-6:00. I think we nailed it in one night session.

Youth
This song was one of our early anthems (together with „coffee“) and our show closer. It was one of our first songs and a very good example of our „boogie van hippie music“. We recorded this one together with another song at the Blubox in autumn 2001. It was also originally produced by the late Guido Lucas.

*2002/2018 (koller)
revised version
bass: jan wendler
**2017 (kirch/koller/mavridis)
studio jam
***2012 (koller)
alternative mix
****2018 (mavridis)

Mouth is:
Nick Mavridis: Drums
Thomas Johnen: Bass
Christian Koller: Guitar / Keyboards / Vocals

https://www.facebook.com/mouthsound/
https://mouthprog.bandcamp.com/
http://www.soundcloud.com/mouthprog
https://www.facebook.com/Tonzonen/
https://www.instagram.com/tonzonenrecords/
https://www.tonzonen.de

Mouth, Floating (2018)

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Mouth Release Limited Alterna Sounds Festival Live Album

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 31st, 2018 by JJ Koczan

I’ve always been a sucker for a good bootleg. I’m not saying record labels don’t deserve their cut and bands don’t deserve their cut, but come on, there’s something about an unofficial release that makes it all the more like a piece of buried treasure. I used to buy bootleg CDs at a shop in Morristown, NJ, and it was upstairs above a nail salon or something like that, and you’d walk in and it was like entering a secret world full of weird Italian misprints, old illicit vinyl and so on. Just amazing. Everything kind of went to hell when CDRs and printed-at-home artwork came along in the late-’90s, but a professional bootleg? It rarely gets better than that.

Mouth don a bootleg aesthetic with their Alterna Sounds Festival live recording, captured earlier this year with a TASCAM on stage and presented in warts-and-all fashion with stage feedback and audience whistles and the rest of it. The live album obviously isn’t an actual bootleg, since it’s the band itself putting it out and not, you know, a criminal, but the vibe is there just the same as the band works through tracks dating all the way back to their 2009 debut, Rhizome. Alterna Sounds Festival comes down from their Bandcamp page on Little Xmas — same day your tree is supposed to come down — so if you get the chance, you might as well grab a download while the getting’s good. I don’t think the cops will come after you for that.

Here’s the info:

mouth alterna sounds festival

MOUTH – ALTERNA SOUNDS FESTIVAL

*live bootleg*
*for free*
*only online until January 6 2019*

mouth – live @ alterna sounds festival 2018
Tracklisting:
1. Sunrise
2. Stampede
3. Vortex
4. Witch’s Vice
5. Parade
6. On the Boat
7. Master Volume’s Voice
8. Into the Light
9. Peng*

Recorded live @ Sputnik Café Münster 3/24/2018. Recorded live on stage with a TASCAM DR-5, positioned on the guitar amp.

Mouth is:
Nick Mavridis: Drums
Gerald Kirsch: Bass
Christian Koller: Guitar / Keyboards / Vocals

https://www.facebook.com/mouthsound/
https://mouthprog.bandcamp.com/
http://www.soundcloud.com/mouthprog

Mouth, Alterna Sounds Festival (2018)

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