Album Details

• Artist: Mice Parade
• Album: Candela
• Label: Fatcat
• Year of Release: 2013
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: nlathy on 2013-02-01

The seventh album is solid, but at times hard to grasp where Adam Pierce is going.

It's worth trying to keep up anyway. Pierce can utilize a hook. This is clearly evident on "Las Gentes Intersantes." He puts his drumming and guitar skills to use too.

Solid singing is on display with the help of vocal contributions from Caroline Lufkin and Gisellse Saad Assi. It even gets danceable. There is an appeal to a wide range of audiences seen when the music gets into Gloria Estefan territory.

But make no mistake the band can rock. "Contessa" shows the music can practically sound conventional. But even here, the inventiveness of the music and the vocals doesn't wane. And there's some eerieness near the end of the song, reminding you this is far from arena rock.

The band can sound like Metric at times. There are good tempo changes on cut after cut. Points are deserved for the song title, "Warm Hand in Narnia."

The music shouldn't be considered child's play though. And the song works better than most of the on screen adaptations in the past eight years of C.S. Lewis' writings. The guitar playing takes you on a good journey. You don't want it to end.

The music rocks hard also on "Pretending." Some of the songs get better on repeated listenings. "Listen Hear" is an example of a song, which is worth revisiting.

The longest cut "Chill House" conjures up visions of a clock ticking and a train moving. There's a good message to value our children.

Pierce respects different cultures and humanity, and he puts into an eclectic rock context. This sets a good example for the responsibility of the artist without venturing away from the need to entertain.

Maybe the music could be funner. A little more humor would be welcome. But I'll enjoy the musical diversity and the intriguing vocal maneuvers in the mean time.

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