Einsturzende Neubauten - 'Perpetuum Mobile' (Mute)
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
... Or, as it could well have been titled; 'Selected Experimentation Concerning the Noises 'Clink' 'Klang & 'Crash!', Volume 23'. Possibly. Welcome to legendary German industrial music time folks, and not a minute too soon.
One glance at Einstürzende Neubauten's back-catalogue reveals a career spanning well over two decades, and one in possession of some rather off-kilter instances too. Most will admit that it's not every day you hear of a band that have been known to use the Autobahn as a percussion instrument... oh yes, and they were naked too.
Their name doesn't translate as 'collapsing new buildings' by accident, this much is clear, and it's a handle that fits most comfortably. Rhythmically, we think at least, we can hear spark-plugs, bicycles, dustbins... in essence, if it's metal and makes a noise, it'll be hit. Couple this with the fact that German might be the most terrifying language (except Klingon) in existence and we should have on our hands one very fearsome record.
Formidable it is, but fearsome, most definitely not. The beat structures, seeing as so few conventional percussion instruments are used, are subtle and mesmerising, the vocals soft and smooth, the music's job being to create sweeping, atmospheric backdrops that set everything off just perfectly. It's still industrial, but the focus of a song isn't on noise and discordance (apart from 'Ozean Und Brandung's four minutes of slightly unnecessary soundscapes), rather on moody emotion and raising intrigue, like Big Black doing lullabies, or Throbbing Gristle singing hymns.
A difficult record still though, as they're unafraid to bombard us with thirteen-minute, sprawling, messy title-tracks just two songs into the record. It's not for those with waning attention-spans, but there's absolutely no reason anyone else should be put off by anything else on show. Despite its abrasive connotations, this may be the world's first chill-out industrial record; at times, such as 'Ein Liechtes Leises Säusein', it's incredibly, if uneasily, relaxing. Don't be put off by the foreign language either, as they've even been considerate enough to provide complete English translations in the liner-notes for the less cultured of us.
Especially towards the start of the record, it can sure take some getting used to. But 'Perpetuum Mobile' is an album that rewards its listener with an absolutely fantastic closing third (hey, there are even a couple of tracks in English), a recognition that the early experimentation has been appreciated and the presentation of some truly brilliant songwriting, almost by way of congratulation. So, a wonderful 'Youme and Meyou' sounds like nothing else in the known world, haunting melodies and bizarre wordplay coupling brilliantly, 'Der We Ins Freie' is the only Einstürzende Neubauten piece likely to be played in a club (although quite where that club exists is anyone's guess), but neither are a patch on the marvellously cryptic 'Dead Friends (Around The Corner)' - really, we don't even want to guess what's going on with that one.
It's true that once this record is wholly appreciated, you may well go about your day looking at mundane objects in a completely new light. Every time someone drops something, you'll wish you recorded the sound so it could be put on a ten-minute loop whilst some mad Germans crooned and sprinkled keyboards over the top. Who knows, perhaps life might be better that way anyhow.
Artists in this article: Einsturzende Neubauten
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