Neil Cicierega has been deftly skewering the Internet’s obsession with ‘90s navel-gazing for a while now, and over the weekend the sample-driven satirist emerged from the tiny chamber lined with TVs where he presumably lives to give the world “Mouth Silence.”
“Mouth Silence” is the sequel to “Mouth Sounds,” the mixtape that made “SomeBODY” the new “It’s been…”; like its predecessor, “Mouth Silence” has an unofficial theme—Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life”—and a mischievous sense of humor. Highlights include the Red Hot Chili Peppers/Nine Inch Nails mashup “I Wanna Funk You Like An Animal” and a mashup of “Sexual Healing” with “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” that will validate all the Disney conspiracy theorists out there.
But “Mouth Silence” also sees Cicierega expanding his musical palette beyond ironic (if thematically consistent) ‘90s mashups. A Pokemon-themed track includes sound bites from multiple news reports about the phenomenon (and this guy), all set to the infectious rhythm of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” Cicierega’s samples are generally more diverse this time around: “Love Shack,” Kate Bush, Katy Perry, David Bowie, furries, Hansen, Faith No More, “Low Rider,” Bruce Springsteen, the Monty Python theme, “Close To You” by The Carpenters, and yes, the Full House theme also make appearances.
Soundcloud comments on “Mouth Silence” are mostly of the “why are you doing this to us???” variety, but when it’s the evil genius who once paired “Crocodile Rock” with System Of A Down’s “Chop Suey” we’re talking about, the only answer is because he can.