Well this one wasn't heavily promoted. I didn't realize it existed until I saw it in a CD store. Compared to 2004's magnificent Perpetuum Mobile, this feels like a minor work to me. I'm sure that there are a lot of fans of Einsturzende Neubauten that feel differently. This album funded entirely by the Einsturzende Neubauten fan club, and more importantly the entire recording process was available for fans of the band to witness and comment on. I've read in a couple of reviews about how the band would revisit previously discarded musical paths and discard others based on comments from their fans. I've never heard of a band allowing their fans to contribute so much to the creative process, so I certainly admire it. Unfortunately, the result is an album that just does not come accross as strongly as Einsturzende Neubauten's previous works. While there are no bad songs, there is little on this album to give it the strength of other efforts from this group.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of impressive tracks on here. Opening song "Die Wellen" starts with quiet piano and percussion and then slowly increases in volume until the end. There's no explosion of sound or cathariss. Just one crescendo for a little over three and a half minutes. It works. Not particularly well, but it works. "Weil Weil Weil" and "Lets do it Dada" show off their ability to deliver catchy almost dancable grooves. Both of these songs would be candidates for singles if this band did singles. Einsturzende Neubauten has never been a dance band, and that seems kind of tragic to me with all their rythmic capabilities. When they turn down the volume, the results are a bit more hit and miss. "Nagorny Karabach" is about as unmemorable a track as they have ever written. But "Ichhatteein Wort" is about as pretty as songs come these days.
My biggest moment of disappointment comes at the end of this album. "Ich Warte" was featured on a recent live album the band released, and live, the song is extremely powerful. It starts with a quiet melody and then when the percussion joins in and Blixa Bargeld sings with the full power of voice, the song really carries a lot of energy. But on this album, the song feels almost lifeless. The climax just doesn't have any punch to it. And the song hasn't been substantially altered. I can't figure out what's wrong. Was Blixa feeling sick that day they decided to record? Could they just not figure out how it should sound? I just don't get it.
I can't help but wonder what "Von Wegen" would have been if Einsturzende Neubauten's fans had been left out of the creative process. The song starts quietly enough before building to an orchestral climax. But there's this part in the middle where Blixa sings "Von Wegen" over and over that doesn't fit in at all with the rest of the song. It sounds like something the band decided didn't fit, but fans decided sounded cool and as a result got left in. It does sound cool, but it also just doesn't belong. Then again, I could be completely wrong.
I bought this album when it came out in January. I really haven't listened to it much since then. Listening to it again for this review, that seems like kind of a shame. There's lots of good music on here. But I guess something about it leaves me cold. I admire Einsturzende Neubauten for their tireless experimentation and committment to expanding their creative process. Unfortunately, I just can't get too worked up about the results.
Well shit. According to Allmusic.com, this album came out last October. Well I've come too far not to post this.
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