Ian Svenonius and Rich Morel have surprised and pleased listeners for ages, but perhaps none of those surprises were preparation for the disco-flash of their new single as Too Much. The release, out now on Merge Records, finds the duo diving headfirst into earlier styles, and doing so with such enthusiasm that it would be foolish not to join in.
Opener "Patent Leather" should provide astute listeners with a faint hint of "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal, even as it's clear within seconds that Ian and Rich are interested in funk as much as they are old sides from Mute legends. If the cut reminds one of stuff like "D.M.S.R." by Prince just a bit, I think the players would probably appreciate such a comparison. The flip here might be even better and less austere. "Dyslexia" also owes a lot to the Purple Legend, but the track fits nicely next to the sort of thing Svenonius has been pursuing lately in Escape-ism. Morel, however, layers this with enough throbbing keyboards, and washes of synth amid the guitar-scratches that the tune would succeed even without Ian's superb command of the vocal-line.
I'm sure this project might seem to some like a one-off lark but I for one really hope that Too Much becomes a sustainable concern for these players. Rich Morel, among his many projects, has done a little bit of stuff like this before in parts of that insanely-great record from Deathfix, and Ian Svenonius can master nearly any genre with a bit of wit, it seems, so yeah, let's cross our fingers that Too Much continues to make music.
"Patent Leather" / "Dyslexia" is out now via Merge Records, and the link below.
[Photo: Alexandra Cabral and Ian Svenonius, Comet, D.C., 2018 by Glenn Griffith]