Search - Little People :: Mickey Mouse Operation

Compelling, emotional, and body-shaking hip-hop beats

Andrew Howard | Fairfax, VA, USA | 02/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Little people, also known as Laurent Clerc, skillfully blends body-moving hip-hop beats with catchy piano riffs to create a unique combination of music on Mickey Mouse Project. If you're a fan of hard-hitting drumlines, piano, and sub-level bass, you're sure to like this album. Clerc maintains a solid sound and certainly gives himself an identity on this album, but he also isn't afraid to add additional instruments into the mix. Songs like "Idiom" introduce strings, and ethereal vocals are used to great effect on the melancholy "Unsaid". Standout track "Start Shootin'" has a bass-cello that really pulls the track together. There's even a vocal track, "Breathe Again", featuring downtempo singer Rachael Roberts. Most of these are used sparingly, and the majority of the production is drums, piano, and bass.



There is excellent variety in this album as well. Songs range from the sad & forlorn ("Moon"), to the unabashedly rap-centric ("Gravitas"), to the experimental ("Last Fare"). But throughout all, Clerc keeps it minimalistic, and hook-friendly. Judging by Clerc's fine taste in beats, and excellent production, if he were to ever make a commercial rap record, he would storm the charts faster than Lil' John could say 'WHAT!?'



The album is at its best when the drums & piano combine to form a moving song that's more than just the sum of its parts, such as on "Moon", "Idiom", and "Start Shootin'".



My only complaint is that my favorite songs are too short. This one is a must-have for fans of emotive hip-hop instrumental music."

Little People - "Mickey Mouse Operation" (2006)

G. Johnson | 04/20/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pandora is well-known for its eclectic playlists of beats. No, I'm not talking about James Cameron's world of tribal drums and big, blue aliens; but rather, the personalized internet radio where I found Little People (yes, that's the artist's name). This online service helps you discover new music based on your favorite songs. This review will delve into the technosonic brilliance of Laurent Clerc's debut album, "Mickey Mouse Operation" (2006). From spot-on sampling to captivating breaks and instrumentals to hip-hop melodies, this record represents beat-making in its most simple and beautiful form.



Lyrics in this album are few and far between. However, when they are present, they are superb. Tracks like "Breathe Again" and "Start Shootin'" utilize choral backgrounds and catchy refrains to suck the listener into a vibrant vacuum of synthesizers and beats. The sample used in "Unsaid," in particular, is musically simplistic, yet emotionally powerful: "As I love you / Oh, I lied." This song title coupled with the refrain emphasizes the sentimental value of the string tracks, creating a lonely ambience for just about any listener. These are the sorts of elements that make Clerc's music so captivating.



The album's musical breaks along with its instrumental genius also provide another captivating element. "Intermezzo," for example, provides a slow interlude that fades in only to fade out 38 seconds later. This effect, while seemingly insignificant, provides the buildup to the most epic breakdown of the album on "Idiom." If I had to describe it in one phrase: it makes me feel like Jason Bourne on the run. The ride and snare hit fast and quick as violins shriek with urgency for a full two minutes, allowing the listener to revel in the action of the moment. While this sort of epicness isn't exactly conducive to hip-hop melodies, most of the tracks certainly are.



"Moon" and "Gravitas," for instance, exhibit simple piano-drum combinations that are dying for some hip-hop lyrics. That, however, is the beauty of the album. The brilliance of the music is there and the listener knows it. To introduce another element to this electronic concoction of beats and melodies would be volatile to the already brilliant ambience.



While this review demonstrates my absolute appreciation for Little People's music, a question still remains: what makes "Mickey Mouse Operation" so special in the realm of technosonic music? The answer is simple: it's not so special. There isn't all that much experimentation, and the music isn't all that innovative. In spite of this criticism, I still stand by what matters most: the basics are there, and they are beautiful. Apart from this, there is also a mysterious component about the album that makes it all the more appealing. Maybe it's the fact that the song titles are peculiar and foreign. Maybe it's the fact that so little has been heard of Little People since the release of "Mickey Mouse Operation" in 2006. Or maybe it's the fact that it's so hard to find information about the man behind the name, Laurent Clerc. In either case, one thing is certain: mickey mouse operations are for kids, but this album is for those who truly appreciate the beauty of music.

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Trip-hop

D. Price | Donald | 02/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's get one thing straight, Mickey Mouse Operations is a very chill album. Little People create an excellent blend of original sounds with steady beats that grow on you as you listen. Little People have an excellent style of music which seems to blossom from minimalism in the sense that everything you hear is what you want to hear without any filler. This is also a great album to listen to while you are studying or reading."