Claudia Brücken was the vocalist of 1980s electronic wonders Propaganda, her vocals soaring over such songs as “Jewel” and “P Machinery” that still sound wonderful today. Jerome Froese is the son of Edgar and one time member of Tangerine Dream during the 1980s and 1990s. On paper this seems quite an odd collaboration, but sometimes these things just work, so let’s enter the world once inhabited by Dr Mabuse and see where the music takes us.
A haunting synth sound introduces “(The) Last Dance” before a samba rhythm takes over and piano notes fall from heaven. When Brücken’s voice begins, it’s unearthly and beautiful, like a chanteuse from another time. Jerome’s music is wonderful and melancholy, and the song has a marvellous old pop sensibility to it, of a time when deep emotions were part of the art of great music. A pulsing beat and some steady sequencing call in “Wounded”, and Brücken’s voice seems slightly deeper and distant here, while Froese’s melody during the verses has a touch of Kraftwerk about it. But when the chorus hits in, we are pulled up by a swell of synths to give the track an overall uplifting feel, and Brücken’s lyrics are full of hope as she cries out to the elements. “Flight (Of) Fancy” begins with a desert-sounding guitar motif while Brucken sings her most psychedelic lyrics about our imaginations taking us on the flight of fancy. The feel of the track is very breezy and mellow, and reminds me at times of Seeds Of Love-era Tears For Fears. This was the kind of thing I wasn’t expecting from the album, and is the perfect music for a lazy summer’s afternoon.
A light synth pattern starts “Cards”; however, when the drum pattern hits in, it makes for the most perfect piece of electronic pop and the closest thing sound wise to Brücken’s old band. The chorus has a slight psychedelic twist to it that hits upon an Indian raga style before arpeggios bring us back to Earth. “Light (Of The) Rising Sun” has a mournful piano and synth melody that hovers in the air like summer fireflies. This sounds like a song that Kate Bush would have created during her Never Forever period. The track bleeds into “Whispers Of Immortality”, a song about nature and touching the divine. Here, Froese’s sparse instrumentation is quite beautiful as it conjures up atmospheres and lets Brücken’s fairytale voice take centre stage.Choppy guitar slips beneath the vocal opening of “Sound (Of The) Waves”. There is a slightly more prog rock element to it and lyrically it reminds me of some of Brian Eno’s seventies vocal work. Again, the use of echo gives the track lots of space until the drums mark time at the half-way mark. The song lifts up towards its ending and leaves you with a longing for evenings by the ocean. “Stars Walking Backwards” could almost be a title from Tangerine Dream’s seventies back catalogue, but instead its a taut piece created around overlaying rhythms and a drifting synth melody. The songs moves ahead with an almost shuffling beat, while Brücken’s vocals sing of escape, the boundaries beyond and seeing things in a different way.
“Forevermore” starts with the kind of guitar riff that reminds me of David Sylvian’s work on Brilliant Trees. Here we get a similar sense of the beatific wrapped in a sublime pop sensibility. There is something of nature, the earth and the air as part of it, but at the end of the day, it’s beautiful love song and the kind of thing that should be released as a single. “Sweet Sense (Of) Liberation” starts with brooding synths until a fairly vigorous beat and sequencer takes over. Brücken’s voice is full of passion in what is an achingly melodic song that buzzes around your head after the album has finished — the song is just damn catchy and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. “Unbound Spaces” has a sense of ethereal ambience to it as its keyboard sounds drift among the stars and Brücken’s vocals sing to the cosmos, giving the feel of wind on water. The song is filled with lush instrumentation that breaks like waves on a beach around you as it emanates from your speakers.This album is quite a beautiful experience, with Froese’s music both pop and poetical at the same time. Brücken has a soft and lilting voice that smothers you like a warm blanket on a winter’s evening. I hope the two collaborate on future projects and that this is not a one-off, and some live dates would be wonderful as well. Take an hour out of your life and just bliss out listening to this.
-Gary Parsons-
