admin
22 December 2023
I can remember when I first heard Einsturzende Neubauten. It was the beginning of my musical awakening-- a completely alien soundscape to a kid raised in a small town on butt-rock and Top 40 radio. The idea of clanging homemade instruments with German lyrics was intoxicating. I can’t say that I always understood the music or what they were trying to do, but I still purchased the entire catalogue.
Early industrial masterpieces like Halber Mensch and Haus Der Luge became my favorites, along with the newer, gentler Tabula Rosa. I continued to purchase their discs as they came out, always aware of the promise of greatness, but usually left wishing for more. With Perpetuum Mobile, I finally feel like the promises Neubauten made with the noisy, scary Halber Mensch have fully gelled with the sophistication of Tabula Rosa. Even to someone lacking prior knowledge of Neubauten, this is a great album.
In the years since Einsturzende Neubauten appeared, so many of their sounds have been absorbed into the mainstream by bands like Depeche Mode, Rammstein, and Blue Man Group, that it is not such an insurmountable task to pick up their CD. Perpetuum Mobile, especially, is such a beautiful creation that it just blows me away every time I listen to it. There is a haunting Pink Floyd tone to several of the tracks, such as “Ein Leichtes Leises Sauseln (A Whisper Light And Low)” and “Boreas”. While the pounding of PVC pipes on “Youme & Meyou” may bring to mind the music of the Blue Man Group with Peter Gabriel on vocals, “Selbstportrait Mit Kater (Self-Portrait With Hangover)” is fully grounded in the Halber Mensch sound.
If you’ve always wondered about Einsturzende Neubauten but never had the guts to pick up a disc, Perpetuum Mobile is a great, user-friendly way to do it. If you have fallen away from Neubauten during the course of the last few releases, believe me when I tell you that this is their most exciting and beautiful CD in a decade.
INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THEM HERE.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
Early industrial masterpieces like Halber Mensch and Haus Der Luge became my favorites, along with the newer, gentler Tabula Rosa. I continued to purchase their discs as they came out, always aware of the promise of greatness, but usually left wishing for more. With Perpetuum Mobile, I finally feel like the promises Neubauten made with the noisy, scary Halber Mensch have fully gelled with the sophistication of Tabula Rosa. Even to someone lacking prior knowledge of Neubauten, this is a great album.
In the years since Einsturzende Neubauten appeared, so many of their sounds have been absorbed into the mainstream by bands like Depeche Mode, Rammstein, and Blue Man Group, that it is not such an insurmountable task to pick up their CD. Perpetuum Mobile, especially, is such a beautiful creation that it just blows me away every time I listen to it. There is a haunting Pink Floyd tone to several of the tracks, such as “Ein Leichtes Leises Sauseln (A Whisper Light And Low)” and “Boreas”. While the pounding of PVC pipes on “Youme & Meyou” may bring to mind the music of the Blue Man Group with Peter Gabriel on vocals, “Selbstportrait Mit Kater (Self-Portrait With Hangover)” is fully grounded in the Halber Mensch sound.
If you’ve always wondered about Einsturzende Neubauten but never had the guts to pick up a disc, Perpetuum Mobile is a great, user-friendly way to do it. If you have fallen away from Neubauten during the course of the last few releases, believe me when I tell you that this is their most exciting and beautiful CD in a decade.
INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THEM HERE.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
artid
2058
Old Image
6_6_neubaten.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 06 (feb 2004)
section
entertainmental