Mothers

Render Another Ugly Method

The shifting, irregular momentum on Render Another Ugly Method is bold and rewarding, with many surprises.

Mothers have taken their tactics of constant instrumental juxtapositions into another realm, somehow finding a middle ground between the pleasant and the discordant, where Mothers have comfortably found their niche - it’s not always uplifting, but it consistently delivers.

This certainly doesn’t always make for the most accessible album, it pays off more often than not.

Render Another Ugly Method is an album which demands careful listening, almost as it pushes away the listener, inviting interpretation as it rejects it. Often thrilling, it is rarely less than compelling.

While ‘Render…’ is a glorious middle finger to convenience listeners everywhere, at times it’s just a little too fragmented to really make an impact.

It's a challenging album, especially at close to an hour in length. It's one that holds its share of fascination, however, with its alternately biting and poetic lyrics, persistent ache, and unpredictable patterns that are still discernable if often transient.

Songwriting craft. Musicianship. Vision. Ambition. Singularity. It’s all on display here, unmistakably, impressively. But mostly, Render Another Ugly Method serves up a palpable sense of something ominous and haunting.

Render Another Ugly Method is a transitory step for Mothers, one that’s equally messy and compelling, showing that Leschper’s voice as a songwriter and singer remains her own, no matter how many effects she puts on top of it.

Lyrics that need to be read aloud to be understood, plus an unsettling discombobulation of tempos, dynamics, and various internal compositions, plus Leschper’s monotonous drone, all co-existing for nearly one hour becomes mentally exhausting and almost frustrating halfway through Render.

Render Another Ugly Method is merely the calcified misery of a young woman who can't reach outside herself.