Wave

"The Mother and The Whore" (Single, 2002)

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The Mother and the Whore appeals musically in such a way as to keep the attention of the listener, while film critic Mark Cousins explains the reasons behind his choice of favourite film over a tense but easy listening film score that pulls in different directions without freefalling into any one space or direction. This is both courageous and enlightening to the virgin, but leaves room for criticism by the third or fourth listen. Like me, you may find you want the music to take you further. Something that is stifled by the immediate attention to detail of the vocal which somewhat detracts from a certain level of interest given off by the music alone on repeat plays.

The instrumental Good and Bad Reasons for Believing is more thought-provoking than the title track, possibly because it steers clear of a vocal track altogether, however unconventional; and secondly because it leads you into and along a specific path. There isn't a simple beginning, middle and end, but there is a structure that takes you from A to B in a more conformist way than the stop/start of The Mother and the Whore. This is thoughtful ambience meeting upbeat electronica with touches of jazz-inspired horns and a smooth but perfectly distorted guitar to give extra punch in a most classy atmospheric production.

The Mother and the Whore - demo version is a less polished rough and dirty version of the title track. It is almost an instrumental mix in the way it gives a valuable gritty feel to the overall mix that gives more emphasis to the music and less shine and polish to the vocal lead. However, it is clearly a demo in the unfinished production quality when played after the title track. The fourth track is simply the unedited audio track of Mark Cousins' studio dialogue where he explains why The Mother and the Whore is, in his mind, the best film ever made. 6/10

Terry Lane