Uninhabitable Mansions' Nature is a Taker

Track List:
1. "The Speed is Deceiving" - 3:58
2. "Big Kick" - 2:51
3. "Do You Have a Strategy" - 3:10
4. "Midnight Topography" - 4:12
5. "Maps Not Accurate" - 3:20
6. "The Brain is a Slow Wave" - 4:03
7. "Static State" - 4:37
8. "This Drift" - 3:39
9. "Ex-Explorers" - 5:31
10. "We Already Know" - 5:26

This year, for me at least, has been dominated by mediocre albums from supergroups. There was quite an enticing lead up to Clues and Monsters of Folk starting way back in 2008. I was so excited I could’ve thrown my shoes at the president. Unicorns plus Arcade Fire? Awesome. M.Ward, Conor Oberst and Jim James? Awesome! Clues’ “Perfect Fit” and the Monsters’ “Say Please” were released for free download months and months prior to their albums, and they were fantastic, but I should have known better. I’ve officially banned myself from listening to EPs of album-less bands because of all the false hopes and heartache they have put me through, lookin’ at you, Voxtrot. Now it looks like teaser tracks ought to be in the same category. Flashy Python! (Ounsworth does love his exclamation points) and The Mountain Goats + John Vanderslice were pretty equally disappointing with similar blown potential. If the Traveling Wilburys have taught us anything, it’s that genius plus genius doesn’t always equal double genius (etc.).

Sparklehorse and Dangermouse took the lead in retooling this broken formula with the first truly inspiring crossbreed of the year. Although, to be fair, I could probably release one of the year’s best albums with that lineup of supporting characters as well. Jay Ferrar and Ben Gibbard turned out a charming little indie insider record for fans of Kerouac (or fans of folksy road trip tunes), but Uninhabitable Mansions have officially raised the bar. Team ups generally yield overly compromised and underly ambitious jam sessions, but Nature is a Taker perfectly cuts Clap Your Hands’ freelance jangle with Au Revoir Simone’s upbeat, churning machinations. Of course, the true test of a supergroup is going beyond either band’s former glory and carving out a unique niche.

“Do You Have a Strategy,” “This Drift” and the closer that inspired the title seem to be the best hybrid of CYHSY and ARS, but for me, the stand-out tracks are “Maps Not Accurate” and “Big Kick.” The vocals sound roughly Ounsworth-like without that endearing squawk, and the warbling lamentations find a natural home beneath the echoing reverb of the bass drum. On its own, it’s hard to see how this track came from their collective past, but stacked up against the rest of the album, it makes perfect sense. “Big Kick” shares the high water mark in terms of innovation with that glorious guitar riff soaring above the skuzzy baseline and what seem to be the signature calamitous drums and background noise.

On the whole, Nature is a Taker certainly eclipses Au Revoir Simone’s catalogue, underrated though it is, as well as Some Loud Thunder. CYHSY’s self-titled still has it beat, but that’s like comparing apples to Persephone’s pomegranate. The fact is, at this point, with Alec Ounsworth off to explore the world, Clap Your Hands may well be a thing of the past, and that’s fine, that’s fine with me. Ounsworth’s “solo” album and now this Uninhabitable Mansions album are both head and shoulders above Some Loud Thunder and it’s hard to imagine a third Clap Your Hands album topping either of them. Prove me wrong though, guys! Even with supergroups that I really do enjoy, like The Raconteurs, I can’t help but think, “okay that was great, now let’s make a new White Stripes record, k?” Nothing of the sort even crossed my mind throughout Nature, instead, I found myself thinking, “if it’s quite alright with you guys, I’d sure like to inhabit this mansion.”