I’ve been a fan of Einstürzende Neubauten since the ’80s, seen the amphetamine-fuelled destruction of yore break apart to let in lots of melodic tinkerings.
Straight off, the first two tracks are flipping ace; that blunt patter of plastic tubes on “Wie Lange Noch” gives me a distinctive nod to years gone by, reconnecting me in part to a mellowed-out “Ich Bin’s”, complete with a sparking zip-wire sizzle that nestles nicely between Blixa Bargeld’s anchoring voice. A voice that has only got better with the passing of time, and one that still hooks you into the frame with its restless intelligence.
Closely following on, the percussively daggered beast that is “Ist Ist” is a true album standout, exploding in some impressive throat violence and clattering metallics. For here on in the album opens up to let in some gorgeous songsmithery, the type the group have been finely tuning ever since Ende Neu’s “The Garden”.
The swan-like glide of “Es Könnte Sein”‘s texturally smothered whisper, building up to swollen tides of controlled chaos and robotic-like repeats. The quiet creep of “Before I Go” introspectively itching an OCD need – something I’m certainly afflicted with. The later tracks losing themselves to a more experimental verve, incised by a salty improvised slant.
The dark fruit of “Ick Wees Nich (Noch Nich)” bringing on “DNS-Wasserturm” comparisons. The waltzing whir-chunked hex of “Trilobiten” all picked-string flamenco circling barefoot to smacked wooden spiralling tensions. A beautifully dark intoxicated flavour like some weirded-out distillation of “Salamandrina” that slips easily into the levitating eeriness of “Gesundbrunnen” — a finale that spectres in compressor-curled drill and an “Armenia”-like scream thrown to a harmonious chorus.Rampen is a delight that keeps giving and one that gets me wanting to re-visit everything they’ve ever done.
-Michael Rodham-Heaps-
