(Note: Due to the sheer number of submissions we receive there is no way we can give each and every album the attention (and word count) they deserve, but we can devote time to at least one song from each. So we started this feature to give worthy bands, and their music, a spot to shine. We hope this helps you discover new and exciting acts, and as always if you enjoy the music please make an attempt to support the artist by either attending a show or buying a record.)
By Jesseca Bagherpour
Mouth’s Cradle are a couple of students at Syracuse University (hey … don’t we know someone who went there?) who call their music “hip-pop”. They count Elvis Costello, Björk (see band name), ABBA, Joanna Newsom, Wu-Tang and Common among their influences. Brandon Linn, one half of the duo, passed along a few tracks from their new record, The Next Big Thing, for our perusal.
Frankly, their music annoys me more than anything I’ve heard in a long time. That’s including Ke$ha (I hate writing her name that way, but I hate errors more). There was only one song I could listen to in its entirety. But it happened to be an infectious pop tune that I find completely irresistible, despite its similarity to something by Matt and Kim or The Ting Tings.
Maybe I’m starting to crack, or maybe there’s something to this song:
Mouth’s Cradle–Honey From a Stone
Verdict: There’s definitely something to this song. It’s a near-perfect mesh of genres–with layers of hip hop lead vocals, girl group harmonies and instrumentals, and electronic beats–and it’s sweet enough to give you a toothache. I want to hear more songs like this from Mouth’s Cradle, rather than the grating, tongue-in-cheek rap they seem so fond of. But they do have potential. And calling their debut album The Next Big Thing may not be too far-fetched. The album has been featured on iTunes “What’s Hot” in pop and has a five-star rating from fans (granted, the 82 people who rated it could all be friends). At the very least, I see some one-hit wonder potential, or even a commercial or two. Then they could afford … oh, I don’t know … better album art, perhaps.