Einsturzende Neubauten - Perpetuum Mobile

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Free Music Notes for Perpetuum Mobile

Free Music Review: A Masterpiece in Wind and Movement
Hit: 5 Stars

1)"Ich gehe jetzt"--a beautifully arranged opening track. Air compressors blow across pipes, deep and rich plastic percussion beats under the vocals the way blood pulses through a moving body, leading up to a conclusion with piano and apocalyptic words that speak to the whole album:
"It's about time/That the earth itself finally spins/Transforms and breaks its bonds/I'm going now."

2)"Perpetuum Mobile"--and go this song does. Spiralling, skittering, but always unfolding forwards, you can listen to this travel-poem set to uplifting guitars and electronic treatments without realizing that it was about fourteen minutes long.

3)"Ein leichtes leises Saeuseln"--a minimalist masterpiece with great lyrics about the silence of the world above that are melancholy but not maudlin. The rustle of linden leaves in the background is a nice touch.

4)"Selbstportrait mit Kater"--an instant Neubauten classic, a metal spring thumps a memorable beat that mimics the throb of a hangover, which is fitting, since the stellar lyrics are about the universe being a macrocosmic hangover in which one participates. Tube bells resonate lonely over the warm bassline, and the unexpected string section towards the end all combine to make this track fun, beautiful, aggressive and tragic all at the same time.

5)"Boreas"--named after the Greek god of the north wind, it's constructed from a fan blowing one sheet of metal against another, creating suprisingly soothing sounds that fit the lyrics of arctic exploration very well.

6)"Ein seltener Vogel"--majestic. Every other word does disservice to this track's primordial beauty, which begins with layered humming and builds to a sublime conclusion. Inbetween, the sparkling, complex ringing of tube bells is but one part of the richly layered percussion. One guitar imitates the chattering of Jurassic birds, while another emits a few simple but soaring notes. The vocals fit in perfectly: "I'm waiting/for that which the rare bird/carries in its beak/upon its return:/the new song!/it lies on my tongue and it burns!"

7)"Ozean und Brandung"--the only instrumental track on the album, evocative of powerful blue waves carrying you across the sea in large, rolling motions until you arrive wide-eyed at the shore of the next song.

8)"Paradiesseits"--you can translate the title as "this side of paradise," and it fits. Carefree, breezy pedal steel guitar notes slide over gentle gusts of air, evoking mental images of the beach paradise that the lyrics speak of. The whistling at the end is so happy that you wonder how anybody could continue to mislabel Neubauten as nihilistic and violent.

9)"Youme & Meyou"--the only fully English song on the album, and while the lyrics are subpar compared to Blixa Bargeld's other lyrics, they are still quite good. A looped percussion rhythm drives the song ever upward while a vibraphone adds a delicate touch that fits in nicely with passionately played strings.

10)"Der Weg ins Freie"--this tale of astral projection picks up steam quickly, employing two voices simultaneously singing about a mental journey through the universe from different standpoints of consciousness. Just as in opera, where two people can sing without it being too confusing, this device somehow works.

11)"Dead Friends (Around the Corner)"--this song takes on a new force once you learn that in German, to "go around the corner" is a euphemism for committing suicide. Like someone strolling through a cemetary one gray autumn afternoon, this song seethes with resignation and despair, conveyed with great effect by a somewhat conventional instrumental arrangement.

12)"Grundstueck"--takes its title "Floorpiece" from the way it was recorded: the five band members sitting in a circle on the floor with various metal bars, playing in complex patterns. A little experimentation with the bars starts off the piece and evolves into a percussion cycle with thick, warm bass accompaniment. The vocals flow slowly and naturally, evoking the thoughts of someone who wanders through your dreams and organizes them, preserving everything...and when the string section fades away at the end, you are left wanting to listen to the whole album again and again.

Overall, this album will be a high point for those who are long-time fans and a great introduction for those who are curious. While this album doesn't have the condensed, punchy feel of some earlier albums (eg Haus der Luege or Halber Mensch), its long explorations of new soundscapes are so passionate and seductive that you don't mind the time. I highly recommend it.

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