The Fruit Bats seem to be about as organic as any band could ever be. Even with only two releases under their belts, the Fruit Bats' lineup up already seems to be confusing to keep track of - the lineup has evolved from a five man core with four supporting musicians on their first album Echolocation to a duo with a few supporting musicians for their second release Mouthfuls. The only constant is mastermind Eric Johnson and Gillian Lisee, who takes more of a noticeable position on this release. The pair each take on a variety of instruments with Johnson providing most of the vocals and doing the songwriting.
While Echolocation was an extremely eclectic mix of folk, pop, country, rock and bluegrass with hints of a variety of other styles, Mouthfuls is a little more cut and dry by settling firmly into mellow folk-rock territory. The strangely macabre lyrics of the first album are mostly absent here and overall seem less lucid. It seems Eric Johnson's songwriting style has morphed in other ways as well, as some of the more humorous elements of the songs on Echolocation are missing as well. That's not to say that Mouthfuls isn't a solid album - it just doesn't move me quite the way the Fruit Bats' first release did.
Contrary to how my comparisons may sound, Mouthfuls does include some great music. “Rainbow Sign” recreates the feeling of a rainy day like no other song I've ever heard and “A Bit of Wind” shows off the group's ability to craft a simple yet deep song. Other highlights include “Slipping Through the Sensors” for its melancholy beauty and “Seaweed” for providing some of the prettiest guitar strumming and finger picking I've heard in a long time. “When U Love Somebody” also gets a thumbs up for bordering on perfect pop and for not being a sappy love song.
The rest of Mouthfuls is far from awful, but most of the other tracks just don't strike in any strong way. They are extremely easygoing to the point of almost fading into background music. Though I've listened to this album a number of times since purchasing it, I get the feeling that this time around the music will take some time and a number of repeated listening to really reveal themselves. I hope this proves to be the case, because I like the Fruit Bats and I really wanted to completely love this album.
I still feel that Eric Johnson and company are incredible musicians and I wouldn't have wanted an exact repeat of their debut release. Perhaps they were feeling a bit hesitant and restrained due to their recent signing to Sub Pop or maybe the Fruit Bats just found themselves feeling a different groove. Either way, Mouthfuls doesn't quite cut it as a five star album. Start your journey into Fruit Bats land with Echolocation - if you love that you probably won't enjoy Mouthfuls nearly as much; however, if you find the debut a little too twangy for your liking then this sophomore effort may be right up your alley.
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