Posted some
early Einstürzende Neubauten a while ago, so here's something more recent which remains one of my favourite albums from the last decade. EN's first album of the millennium, Silence Is Sexy, had been widely hailed as a return to form, even a reboot, and this follow-up streamlined the sound even further. Where this group had once been notorious for its full metal racket, there was now room to breathe - and indeed the plastic tubing with air-compressors sound of this era is the first thing you hear in Ich gehe jetzt. Later on, Ozean und Brandung is three minutes of pure air, leading straight into one of the most gorgeous ballads on this album of new subtleties, Paradisseits.
Plenty of the glorious metal percussion of old remains, driving the rhythms of album highlights Ein seltner Vogel, Selbsportrait mit Kater (a perfect illustration of a blinding hangover if ever there was one), and the epic title track. Perpetuum Mobile itself is a brilliant 13-minute travelogue, taking in flights, airport walkways, taxis and trains in a constant motion that alternates between a frenetic dash to meet the next connection and an only marginally slower brisk stroll. This album is unmissable for that alone, and contains enough variety and strong, mature songwriting to make it a highlight in the Neubauten catalogue.
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