Wales’s own John Mouse is something of a talented guy – an author, a songwriter and a musician.
Having been on the scene for some time, July 14th sees the release of his 4th album, The Death Of John Mouse, and It’s an incredibly diverse and eclectic 33 and a half minutes.
The album kicks off with the radio airplayed single I Was A Goal Keeper, a duet between John and Gareth David (lead singer from Los Campesinos!), it’s a raucous indie rocker and is great fun.
John’s lyrics and songwriting are the main focus here, some of the tracks are spoken word pieces put to music, like the intensely personal Robbie Savage. You’ll find a lot of John lyrics are very personal and drawn from experiences like his parents break up or his experiences working in a hospital (a theme he expands upon in his debut novella The Hospital).
He definitely has a way with words, equal parts touching and humorous and with an eye for seemingly mundane detail.
The aggressive Ilka Moor, featuring John’s effects laden howl is a great track. The indie rocker I’m Waiting For Your Girl is my favourite track right now, John’s croon suiting the track perfectly.
The Death Of John Mouse is a very compelling album, and definitely requires repeated listening as you notice something new and different every time, now that’s the sign of a great album.
9/10
