Alien Transistor (DE) / Anticon (US)
The fact that 13+God isentirely listenable (one needs granite ears for much of Themselves'music) from start to finish seems to indicate that the famouslyfreewheeling Themselves chose to adhere to a more Notwist-friendlyframework, if not working subordinately. Either way, the formula worksperfectly and equally: harmonious, hummable radio-ready tunes as wellas rambling, bizarrely epic tracks are created, and the above noteaside, it's not immediately apparent who wrote or performed what. Thereare moments of dominance: the lead single "Men of Station" reeks ofTeutonic influence, replete with Markus Acher's trademarkspoken-chanted vocals and Themselves relegated to background noises;the closing track "Walk" is similar to the messily intense cuts foundon producer Jel's Meat and Oil EP. Otherwise, the six verydifferent musicians have achieved a near-perfect balance of Europeanelectronic pop and American avant-rap. Neon Golden-worthy percussionand harmonization compete with the best No Musicbeat-poet stream of consciousness vie for position, neither winning outbut instead creating an inventive and original-sounding record. Thecollaboration also has the novelty of minimizing its flaws: when thevocals drone on, inducing slumber, a heavy backbeat will raise theenergy; and the structure and harmonization keep otherwise etherealvocalization grounded. Fans of Themselves may be disappointed that13+Godis too accessible to the plebian public and not jarring or discordantenough, and Notwist aficionados may be annoyed with Themselves formaking such nonsensical noises over an otherwise perfectly-orderedMartin Grestchmann arrangement, but such attacks are Phillistinic.13+God has upped the ante for cross-genre collaborations and met orexceeded all of its lofty expectations.samples:
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