Temporary Happiness

After 2010's 'Tuning Echoes' Mock & Toof return with their second album entitled 'Temporary Happiness'. Previous vocal collaborators Pollyester & Gavin Gordon are replaced by young Swiss artist Ghostape who features on half of the 10 tracks, the remainder being instrumentals.

Anyone who is familiar with Mock & Toof's material through their excellent releases on DFA, Mule Music, Rvng Intl & Tiny Sticks will know their sound isn't easily pigeon-holed & this album continues in the same tradition. Stylistically there are the occasional nods to today's & yesterday's myriad of electronic genres, but it is concocted in such a way that the resulting tracks can't be easily slotted in with this gang or that scene.

'Temporary Happiness', as the title suggests, is darker, deeper & perhaps a little less accessible than its predecessor, but it does have its moments of light where the energy & drama of dance tracks 'Snowball' & 'Walking the Streets' shine through, contrasting with the murky & more melancholic 'Confusion Time' & 'Don't Work, Don't Care'. There is also plenty of space and a dub-funk mottled vibe running through a good number of the tracks, which could be said to be a bit of a trademark.

At its core 'Temporary Happiness' is made by a combination of old machines & new computers, where Ghostape's vocals and the emphasis on hooks & melodies constitutes the more human side. If Mock & Toof's debut was an eclectic selection of songs & dance tracks bunched together, 'Temporary Happiness' works more as a cohesive entity & pushes things forward. Never entirely happy to churn out the same style of material, Mock & Toof display a more inward, uncompromising streak as they progress in their very own world of sound.