Tom Lynch

Usually when a band is described as "warm melodic pop," red lights flash and sirens howl indicating an imposter has trespassed and is trying to sound like The Magnetic Fields. Adam Pierce, the main man behind New York band Mice Parade, takes the tag in another direction. Light, ambient sounds from organs, nylon-stringed guitar, deep vocals, plus an amazing, atypical drum percussion--a hybrid of tribal and bone-dry indie rock--create "Bem-Vinda Vontade," Mice Parade's most recent record on Pierce's own Bubble Core, a stated companion piece to the previous "Obrigado Saudade." In the past, Pierce played every instrument--his project began as strictly instrumental--but now he enlists a wide variety of support, from HiM drummer Doug Scharin to Mum vocalist and Iceland's queen of sorrow Kristin Anna Valtysdottir. The hushed vocals that Valtysdottir lends add to an already dreamlike experience, and "Bem-Vinda Vontade," though notably warm and melodic, can also be described as ingenious. The record is by far Pierce's best work--it's the band's fifth outing--and will surely put him on the atmospheric map as a new foundation for effective home recording (most of everything is done in Pierce's basement in Mt. Vernon). Live, Mice Parade takes on improvisation like it's just another instrument, samples and beats included, so expect Pierce to present something similar to indie jazz heard in a nightclub in space. And hey, it's free.

Mice Parade plays February 13 at the Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600.

(2006-02-07)

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