Mice on Stilts - Crossover Prog • New Zealand (II)

Mice On Stilts have created something rather special. Undoubtedly cut from the same cloth as the likes of Stephen Wilson/The Porcupine Tree – a true compliment rather than an accusation of any kind of plagiarism. Likewise, suggestions of early Pink Floyd etc., really just giving a bit of an idea as to pace, scope and musical vision. Call it prog rock or doom folk… if you know Wilson’s canon, this is all that and more. The line up of the band has changed since the band’s 2013 debut EP ‘An Ocean Held Me’, and so has the sound. Of the original line up, apart from songwriter Benjamin Morley on guitar and vocals, only Tim Burrows (who produced and engineered ‘AOHM’, now on on bass) and Rob Sanders on drums remain. This is a cinematic-quality release, with layers that gradually reveal themselves – and without overstated bombast of any kind. More, gentle, introspective, intimate and honest. Overall though the album does lack dynamics, ups to contrast the downs – and while the linearity throughout makes for fantastic background-listening it doesn’t beg for radio play. ‘Hope For A Mourning’ is bleaker than its predecessor. Don’t look for pop here, rather the soundtrack of a dark art house movie that’s yet to be made. As a songwriter, Morley knows how to dip into the dark side of his mind, for both lyrics and melodies. A stalwart of Auckland’s live scene, he has the genre of ambient doom folk down to a t. • Ania Glowacz 

(http://www.nzmusician.com/2016/04/15/488/)

Hope For A Mourning

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Mice on Stilts - Crossover Prog • New Zealand

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Mice On Stilts biography ( http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=8706 )

Catharsis, the bloom of emotion, is the harbored hope for MICE ON STILTS as a sound, as symbol and a family. Life and its heaviness is not ignored in the ideology and creativity of MICE ON STILTS. Making sense of it all is the essence of what we are doing. As band members we find sound the most powerful means of expression through our instruments, and strive for a creative experience that invites others to share in what we've found to be life giving. Reaching for the corners of musical ideas, MICE ON STILTS collects sound in diversity, hosted by seven very different and unconventional musical talents. From lush sound-scapes to crushing walls of sound, the collision of the internal experience is exposed; raw, vulnerable and with all effort, real. MICE ON STILTS has worked relentlessly for two years, culturing and conveying its compositions to a wide and well loved audience. MICE ON STILTS started as an escape from an end for singer/writer Ben MORLEY. A dream for a different reality than one overwhelmed by the coarseness of life was seeded in Ben's mind. From a bedside passion project, it's flourished into a seven piece orchestration. MICE ON STILTS has seen members join this dream, a musical identity, and with each new contribution these songs have taken on water, and taken to the road across New Zealand.

AN OCEAN HELD ME is the first studio release from MICE ON STILTS. Adopting the DIY values of Aotearoa, this work has been refined, combed and fostered into an art that we believe in. Risking it all, the lyrical narrative built from the consequences and longings of love and the musical symbolism balanced on the edge of intensity and vacancy, which we hope will bring listeners into a beautiful listening reflection. We're taking braver steps with each challenge. Honing in our desire to take this to the world, this wild and beautiful live show is going to dangerous places, wherever and to whoever wants to take part.

Aroha Nui

Biography provided by artist and used with permission

Mice On Stilts official website

Mice on Stilts - 2013 - An Ocean Held Me