Short Reviews [Mahogany Frog - 2021 - "In The Electric Universe"]

‘In The Electric Universe’ is the seventh studio album - and third on MoonJune Records - by Canadian instrumental electro-psychedelic outfit Mahogany Frog. I was a big fan of their 2012 album, ‘Senna’, but this was apparently taking them in new sonic areas, so what would it be like? We have the same line-up as the last album, with Graham Epp (guitar, keyboards, electronics, trumpet), Jesse Warkentin (guitar, keyboards, electronics), and Andy Rudolph (drums, keyboards, electronics) and Scott Ellenberger (bass, keyboards, electronics, trumpet), which means we should expect some sort of continuity and stability. Instead there is a lack of cohesiveness and the impression that in some places this has been overthought and over-layered and others where it has been quite rushed. Apparently the recording process for this album took from 2013 to 2019, so they commenced not long after the release of ‘Senna’, and one wonders how much of this material is actually from those early days, as we have lost the filthiness and moved very strongly into Krautrock, yet often without a sense of direction within the music itself. Even the press release says “unorthodox sounds and complex arrangements can challenge the ear”, yet there are also times where undoubtedly they have the approach spot on. Consequently, the album becomes much better if one just dips in and plays just one song, returning to the album later as opposed to playing it all at once as then it can just get too much. I am sure that those more firmly into Krautrock than I will find much on here to enjoy, but I definitely preferred their previous album.