THE MUMLERS
Thickets & Stitches
Galaxia; 2007

The Mumlers are one the best kept secrets of San Jose, and I was very excited when I heard that they were going to have a new full length album coming out. Two copies of Thickets & Stitches have already been stolen from me, so Will Sprott had to kick me down a third disc to write this review. 

Now to the point: The Mumlers' Thickets & Stitches is a masterpiece. It has the scent of a soon to be classic. Yes, I'm willing to throw down that opinion about this album. I would also add that you should consider hearing them pull it off live. The Mumlers are an experience not to be missed, both on tape and live.

"Red River Hustle" has been my favorite Mumlers song for quite some time now.  I'm just a sucker for proper horn arrangements, but frankly the song is great from beginning to end and top to bottom.  The version of "Red River Hustle" on Thickets & Stitches is the icing on the cake for me, and goes well over a tall glass of milk and chocolate chip cookies. 

I also have to say that “The Whale Song” is really growing on me too. Mr. Sprott has a very comforting delivery, and the guitar work, aside from being the thread that holds the entire piece together, is amazing. 

I hate to try and pigeonhole them, but several tracks remind me of Mark Mothersbaugh if he had a hint of classic Neil Young and Tom Waits. Okay, I'm done namedropping. You should pick this album up. You won't regret it.

[Will Cline]

[STREAM] The Mumlers: Various Tracks

You can hear the Mumlers live in the KWTM edisode 1 podcast!