This is a limited edition red vinyl re-issue for Palais Schaumberg's legendary major label debut album that came out on Phonogram. The band feature Thomas Holmann alongside the legendary Holger Hiller with Timo Blunck and Ralf Hertwig. The press release rightly talks about this album reputation for being a bit of an awkward listen.
The album opens with Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt that seems to have a very No Wave goes Teutonic feel to it, the sax blasts being as reminiscent of Blurt as they are of James Chance, the guitars also seem to be in that same strain. As my review copy doesn't have the English translation for the lyrics I have no Idea what they are singing about.
Die Freude has a piano intro that is almost schlager before the vocals and bass and percussion come in to disabuse me of any notion they are going Schlager instead it's rather off kilter and hints at the poppier end of This Heat played with the sort of bassline that could be on A Certain Ratio tune.
Gute Luft take a reasonably funky bassline and adds almost gamelan percussion, and the oddest keyboard sounds to make very wonky song with the sax breaks sounding almost like punctuation.
Ahoi, Nicht Traurig Sein has loads of cowbell and odd percussive noises and synth part that is almost the Magic roundabout theme song set against chanted and distressed vocals while the bass seems to power the song along.
Grunes Winkelkanu has a childlike vocals that give way to a desperate man over very odd drums and the odd bass note this sounds pained until the synths come in to lighten the mood.
Morgen Wird Der Wald Gefegt has all sorts of weirdness going on around the central riff and drum pattern with keyboards stabs coming and going.
Deutschland kommt gebraunt zuruck is again a very Blurt like song but with a bassline that may have re-worked by Nico a year or two later as this has a sax and gamelan approach.
Hat Leben Noch Sinn? Is one of the songs that if played a little bit straighter sounds like it could be a pop song but as too much weirdness to really be pop.
Eine Geschichte ups the weirdness with what sounds like backwards bass in parts and dub echoes on the vocals with the song almost sounding like it's being played back in slow motion it's very odd.
The album closes with Madonna that has babbling voices over a quicker beat and yet another fantastic bassline, if nothing else this album is worth hearing for the basslines as the odd keyboards stab at us while the drums seem to veer in and out of time with the rest of the song.
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