MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS - This Is the Ice Age

It's hard to describe exactly what makes canadian new wave band Martha and the Muffins' 1981 LP This Is the Ice Age so special, but it's one of those albums that definitely has a sound all its own and sticks with you from first listen.

This album gets a five star rating from me because it is completely effective in connecting beyond the surface level of the music listening experience and conjuring very distinct feelings. There is a sad, cold nostalgia to the music, even on the more upbeat numbers such as Women Around the World at Work and You Sold the Cottage.

The Muffins' Ice Age is a time without human warmth and connection. It is open, gray and lonely - feelings reflected particularly well on Swimming, Boy Without Filters, Jets Seem Slower in London's Skies and One Day in Paris. The arrangements are sparse and the vocals are stoic. The beautifully sad One Day in Paris is particularly nostalgic, with its singer yearning for a sense of completion in another time and place. It is unspecified and unimportant whether that place is in the past or future - all that matters is that it is away from the present "Ice Age."

Casualties of Glass is another highlight, and becomes especially effective near its end with the chant of "don't lose hope."

You sold the Cottage is the closest the album comes to being lighthearted, and at first seems out of place. Even so, its themes of looking back into the past and finding a sense of dissatisfaction works nicely with the LP's overall sense of cold nostalgia.

Also noteworthy are the lengthy title track and Three Hundred Years/Chemistry. The first is almost tribal, while the latter begins as a minimalist instrumental that bursts into a melodic tune that gives a true sense of completion to the album.

The music itself is not the only thing that makes this This Is the Ice Age so effective. The album's title relates perfectly to the mood of the music, as does its cover art. It is austere and desolate, intermingling a space seemingly devoid of any specific time and place with a space that is notably modern (illustrated by the tall office building in the distance). In this sense, the entire package conveys a modern "Ice Age."

This Is the Ice Age is ambient, introspective new wave art pop at its finest, and an essential record for any fan of the genre.

Check out a vinyl rip at Fantasmi Macchina.

In 2005 the album was released on CD, but already looks to be out of print. However, copies seem to be pretty easy to track down (see Amazon).

Click here for my recent post about another Martha and the Muffins release - the About Insomnia single.

MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS - About Insomnia

Martha and the Muffins were a Canadian new wave pop band most famous for their hit single Echo Beach. The band's material was marked by a mix of straightforward pop and avant-guard sensibilities, which is represented perfectly in my favorite single of theirs, About Insomnia, and its B-side, 1 4 6.

About Insomnia is a melodic pop gem with some really compelling lyrics:

Waiting for the dawn for a dream, a chance to lie down
That confused imitation of life eludes me now
All routes of resistance impaired by your face
Oh, fugitive hope, will I see you today?
In a tunnel, on a bridge, or a viaduct we'll meet just by chance
And in a moment, or maybe just an hour or so, renew our romance
And if the charms of foreign places call for changing tableaux
We will auction all our paintings and our furniture
And take to the road
Do you suppose?
The patterns on the wall never change, but shadows grow long
Vous n'assassinez de la realite' c'est malheuresement
As daylight disperses the spectres of night
My nocturnal musings don wings and take flight

About Insomnia was taken from the band's Trance and Dance LP from 1980. While the song is very accessible, its non-album B-side 1 4 6 is a random, noisy instrumental that reflects the more avant-guard side of Martha and the Muffins. Check out vinyl rips of both tracks from my 7" single below:

- Martha and the Muffins - About Insomnia (7" Single, 1980)

FOR FANS OF:
Blondie, The Waitresses, Talking Heads, Romeo Void

WEB LINKS:
- Martha and the Muffins Official site
- Martha and the Muffins CDs on Amazon.com
- Martha and the Muffins on Wikipedia
- Martha and the Muffins on RateYourMusic
- Martha and the Muffins on AllMusic Guide