A highly anticipated collaboration between two German legends and a continuation of Irmler's loose succession of studies on the internal relationship between organ and percussion.
Eight jams lasting two days each at least, spread across three years and here is the result. Apart from ambient intro 'Reset' the album is bookended by 'Brooks' 1+2' and in some way they are the most contemporary sounding pieces. They would not be out of place playing in some hipster paradiso with their melodic motifs, shuffling beats and arsenal of arcade noises.
Other than that this is a relatively dense album. Not always pleasing on the ear but most certainly rewarding and not always light on its feet but certainly able to physically move you. 'Streetlife' may be a paean to Randy Crawford but I doubt it. Unless that is Randy is some kind of Jacques Cousteau 'take a sub into the abyss and record the songs of big fish' type of musician. I think perhaps the gnarly noise on this track is a bit much and detracts from something otherwise quite interesting.
'M' is nearly nine minutes long. Similar to 'Streetlife' with the water taken out but underground nevertheless. More stark and primitive it is the space that draws you in and that you ultimately pay attention to. And then at the end Hendrix joins the party. 'The Taking' is a cut and paste effort with an emphasis on the cut and when it's not cutting it sounds like a sixties theme tune. Sort of. Or Matthew Herbert meets Martin, Medeski and Wood.
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'Bestandteil' is ferocious and metallic and full of soul. Something you may not associate with this type of music and these musicians but is very much the case. The proof is in the pudding. Great track. 'Treat' may not be that if you don't like noise and random stabs of keyboard. The arcade is very much part of the sonic palette of this album. It is another long track that moves in and out of sections. More of a piece if you like and I do. Sometimes (if not all times) it's about the journey, not the destination. 'Treat' vibrates, pulsates and glides to its harmonic denouement and we have arrived at 'Thaler' which may be a German silver coin and may or may not be the treat. It is a music box melody shrouded in the mystery of underwater technology. Maybe it is a threnody? This whole album would suffice as one.
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