When a band is doing something as specific as Bohren & Der Club of Gore, they are likely to skate along some thin lines. Bohren's death march, doomjazz is appealing in its starkness, but it often feels almost as funny as it does serious. I'm fairly sure that this is the point, but that point throws the band into some murky territory. Their latest record might just be the moment where they leap over onto the wrong side of that line.
Beileid features only three songs. When just one of those goes off the rails, it makes the whole record feel like a bit of a misfire. Unfortunately for me, the record goes off the rails early and then is almost completely destroyed as soon as Mike Patton shows up.
Bohren's cover of "Catch My Heart" is a complete miss. Sometimes a band can take a cheesy song, (and face it, "Catch My Heart" oozes cheese,) and make it something new by infusing trite lyrics with some soul. I can't tell if that's what Patton is trying to do here with his slow croon, or if he's half-joking as he sings the lines. In either case, it simply doesn't work and the song feels like a tedious, 13 minute joke. I've got no problem with people loving a song like the original version of "Catch My Heart" but turning it into a dirge just doesn't do it justice, at least not with Patton singing.
But Beileid's problems don't end there. The appearance of a slinky saxophone on "Zombies Never Die (Blues)" takes an otherwise mournful song and makes it sound like something related to a late night smooth jazz jam. At best, it might feel like an Angelo Badalamenti cast off from Twin Peaks, but at worst, the sax and the whispery synth are simply grating. All of that is sad because the rattling drums, barely-moving bass line, and vibes all work well together within Bohren's established meilieu.
Fortunately, there's an excellent stand out track on the mini-album--the title cut where Bohren drops the jokey elements and returns to what they do so well. "Beileid" is all ringing cymbals, organ drones, and slowly evolving melodies that wind up being evocative in all the right ways. Taken at face value, the song is a perfect reflection of the title's sorrowful theme. It's not much different from the last couple of Bohren records, but I still enjoy it. Unfortunately, that one track is the only thing from this mini-album that I want to hang on to.
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