White Mice - 'Ganjahovahdose'

Though suffering from poor production, this whacky, groovy, sludge/noise band stands tall with great songs and an entertaining (and ridiculous) obsession with mice.

Measured by their crazy visual aesthetic, great sludgy noise songs, and live performances in which band members and guest musicians dress up as mice in bloody labcoats on a stage that looks like Disney World from hell, White Mice is a great band. Measured by the terrible production of Ganjahovahdose, that becomes quite difficult to ascertain.

Specifically, the vocals are far too thin in the muddy-mixed, indiscernible sonic stew. Hillarious samples offset the headache that sets in, but it's not a headache born of an abundance of intended noise, but rather because it takes so much effort to connect with the songs through the murky veil of such horrible production.

But once one is able to understand what's going on, Ganjahovahdose's almost danceable grooves enter the bloodstream for an off kilter, enjoyable ride. "The Narcomacaul Eeekalcoholicost" is a hypnotic, trance-inducing number that drives home with the power and magesty of an epic metal song, only filtered through fuzzed-out bottom-heavy thunder and noisy electro-burps.

The rough edge inherent to the songs themselves would appease fans of Swans or Godflesh, while the consistently psuedo-black metal screams of Mouseeattoungue would scratch the itch of many extreme metal fans.

White Mice is unique and great, and the same be said of Ganjahovahdose's songs. Hopefully the same can be said of their next album's production.