It's impossible not to invoke the name Ariel Pink when describing John Maus, and for good cause. Maus shares former collaborator Pink's fascination with lo-fi synth pop, but whereas Pink is concerned with cool detachment, Maus approach is just plain chilly. Like Cold Cave, Maus is steeped in the sound of 80s precursors to goth like Joy Division, Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy. If there were ever an album to typify modern dark wave, this is it. Like Cold Cave, Maus knows how to move bodies as well as salve tortured souls, and like Cold Cave, it's more than just a little addictive. The album's strength is in the seemingly sincere delivery of ridiculously overwrought dance goth, making it one of the few successfully serious ironic records I've heard. Although who knows, maybe Maus really is this goth, and I'm the asshole for making fun of it, either way it's a record that can be enjoyed as both serious art or as a bit of a piss taking, neither of which are mutually exclusive. Some live samples of Maus and his explanation of why I am wrong to think he is taking a piss...
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