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Kammerflimmer Kollektief, "Absencen"
I'm having difficulty imagining a sound more alluring than the one produced by this German sextet. Two years ago, Cicadidaeput me under its spell and maintained a constant spot on my late-nightlistening play list. The band has tightened up for their latest releaseand managed to outdo themselves.
Staubgold
Cicadidae was a bright album, glowing in the wake of processed instruments and slow-burning songs for the lonely and contemplative; Absencenmaintains those moods, but adds a cinematic touch to the wholeexperience. The instrumentation and tasteful use of programming andprocessing gives Absencen a far more acoustic timbre. When theviolins tremble there is little in the way that impairs theinstrument's natural beauty, when the saxophone wails and cries, its asthough I'm listening to some shadowed player on a dimly lit streetcorner. There are undeniably romantic elements sprinkled all over thisalbum: almost every song is full of fluid, seductive curves that movealong peaceful percussion rhythms or stuttered, textured movements. Theband—at times—arranges the music purely by texture, preferring toeschew melodic and harmonic concerns for a purely sound-based approach."Unstet (f?r Jeffrey Lee Pierce)" is a perfect example of this. Whilethere are melodic and harmonic elements, it's obvious that the focus ofthe song is on the jumbled sax and wailing guitars that populate itssix-plus minutes. The way the music creeps and slides about gives theentire record a voyeuristic angle. It settles over everything and mademe feel as though I should be careful, watching my back at all times. Iwouldn't want to be caught in the act. Martin Siewert guests on atleast one track (specifics for guest appearances aren't provided), butit's little wonder that he was invited to play with the band.Kammerflimmer Kollektief's sound is enormous and mysterious, perfectfor the dark or the veiled and shady corners of every city.
Staubgold
Cicadidae was a bright album, glowing in the wake of processed instruments and slow-burning songs for the lonely and contemplative; Absencenmaintains those moods, but adds a cinematic touch to the wholeexperience. The instrumentation and tasteful use of programming andprocessing gives Absencen a far more acoustic timbre. When theviolins tremble there is little in the way that impairs theinstrument's natural beauty, when the saxophone wails and cries, its asthough I'm listening to some shadowed player on a dimly lit streetcorner. There are undeniably romantic elements sprinkled all over thisalbum: almost every song is full of fluid, seductive curves that movealong peaceful percussion rhythms or stuttered, textured movements. Theband—at times—arranges the music purely by texture, preferring toeschew melodic and harmonic concerns for a purely sound-based approach."Unstet (f?r Jeffrey Lee Pierce)" is a perfect example of this. Whilethere are melodic and harmonic elements, it's obvious that the focus ofthe song is on the jumbled sax and wailing guitars that populate itssix-plus minutes. The way the music creeps and slides about gives theentire record a voyeuristic angle. It settles over everything and mademe feel as though I should be careful, watching my back at all times. Iwouldn't want to be caught in the act. Martin Siewert guests on atleast one track (specifics for guest appearances aren't provided), butit's little wonder that he was invited to play with the band.Kammerflimmer Kollektief's sound is enormous and mysterious, perfectfor the dark or the veiled and shady corners of every city.samples:
