This could have been a cause for celebration. After all, their previous “Mair Licht” was one of the finest Scottish albums of all time. In fact, it was so good, and so over the top, that a rational man could doubt that it was ever borne of the deadly dullness that pervades our Scottish musical “culture”.
“Woof” is a restrained album in comparison with a stripped out feel more akin to a collection of demos than an all singing all dancing fully fledged . CD Shade stills does rhymes better than any rapper ever could but introspection and the tired emptiness of political correctness seem his lyrical motivation this time around with “States” being the perfect example of this. However, “Have You Ever Thought” does illustrate that CD Shade has not entirely lost his heart or intelligence although the dullness of the musical accompaniment – a problem throughout the album – dilutes the song’s potential impact somewhat.
There is much to enjoy here but, without the demented delirium that was so prevalent in “Mair Licht”, “Woof” diverts Mouse Eats Mouse from the path of insane righteousness for a walk in the forest of what many will interpret as predictable pretentiousness.