Somewhere off Jazz Street - Road To Somewhere (2008)

Somewhere off Jazz Street - Road To Somewhere (2008)

1. Enter Orbit (3:14)
2. And The Angels Said (3:22)
3. Elevated Feet (4:10)
4. Had Enough (5:03)
5. Outside Looking In (3:51)
6. Snakes In The Grass (4:13)
7. Slippery Ground (3:35)
8. Lurk (2:44)
9. A.W.A.S. (4:59)
10. Collateral Damage (8:24)

My Review :  

It's pretty good, but I think the fact that all the music is made from a keyboard really holds the music back. It would sound so much better with real instruments. 

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Bohren & der Club of Gore – Gore Motel (1994)

Bohren & der Club of Gore – Gore Motel (1994)

1 Die Nahtanznummer, Teil 2 6:32
2 Sabbat Schwarzer Highway 8:15
3 Gore Motel 6:44
4 Dandys Lungern durch die Nacht 5:04
5 Dangerflirt mit der Schlägerbitch 6:20
6 Conway Twitty zieh mit mir 6:01
7 Die Fulci Nummer 4:56
8 Der Maggot Tango 4:15
9 Texas Keller 4:42
10 Thrash Altenessen 4:34
11 Cairo Keller 8:59
12 Gore Musik 7:55
 

My Review :  

I can't really describe what to expect, because it's a bit too 'lively' to be pure ambient. It's also a bit too droney and rock-based to be jazz (Even for jazz fusion). However, it's also too jazzy to be doom metal or rock. It's definitely a beast of its own, which makes it even more disappointing that Bohren would change their style over the next two albums. Essentially, imagine Neil Young's Dead Man Soundtrack crossed with the Twin Peaks soundtrack, with jazzy drum fills. It's mind-blowing. 

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Bohren & der Club of Gore – Midnight Radio (1995)

Bohren & der Club of Gore – Midnight Radio (1995)

Disc One1 – 1 22:34
2 – 2 13:12
3 – 3 10:23
4 – 4 12:59
5 – 5 12:37

Disc Two1 – 6 11:34
2 – 7 12:31
3 – 8 12:29
4 – 9 12:09
5 – 10 12:17
6 – 11 12:42
 

 My Review : 

Another highly atmospheric release from Bohren - though this one needs even more time and patience to appreciate. There is no saxophone here and little bass... meaning it's very minimalistic. The songs are ridiculously slow, sometimes slower than on Black Earth with the drumming being close to non-existant - one high-hat hit every ten seconds or so. There is more guitar than in other Bohren, quite slow, piecemeal guitar solos that ride the music with grace and placidity. This is still a highly effective album and the most complete for the 'film noir' sound, for me at least. Some of the songs are quite long - some more than 20 minutes - that it's hard to listen to the whole double album in one go. And in a way this is the album's strength, it gives you so much whilst giving you so little to work with. There is also a great feeling of loneliness here too... though it's a reassuring and comforting projection.
 

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Bohren & der Club of Gore – Geisterfaust (2005)

Bohren & der Club of Gore – Geisterfaust (2005)

01. zeigefinger
02. daumen
03. ringfinger
04. mittelfinger
05. kleiner finger
 

My Review :  

 It is still distinctly Bohren. It's slow. It's moody. It's easy to listen to, hard to grasp. Jazzy and ambient at the same time. Beautiful and depressing, but not particularly frightening like one might have hoped for. And worst of all, where's the saxophone?

Yes, this album is sure to have put off some fans of the previous releases. The long track times are intimidating on their own, but the fact that the only time the saxophone is used is at the very end of the last track guarantees that few people will have the patience to experience the pay-off.
But that's not how to approach the album at all. The journey is more important than the destination. It doesn't matter that there isn't any saxophone; There doesn't need to be any. It's still soothing, mellow, and as brilliantly composed as any Bohren release.

Geisterfaust is different yet familiar, and a breath of fresh air in Bohren's discography. It just goes to prove that Bohren don't sustain themselves by rehashing their old successes indefinitely, which is an admirable trait many artists should learn from.

Also I don't think I can listen to it without falling asleep.
    

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Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Black Earth (2002)

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Black Earth (2002)

1. Midnight Black Earth
2. Crimson Ways
3. Maximum Black
4. Vigilante Crusade
5. Destroying Angels
6. Grave Wisdom
7. Constant Fear
8. Skeletal Remains
9. The Art Of Coffins
 

My Review :  

Dark, dark atmospheres are created here. The band describes themselves as "horror jazz", which is close to what they sound like (although not in a schizophrenic John Zorn sorta way). The music is slow and brooding and very dark. Despite it's slowness and "jazziness" (although it certainly doesn't swing), this album is HEAVY - not in a distorted, down-tuned guitar kind of way, but in a CRUSHING ATMOSPHERE kind of way. This is the kind of music that overtakes you - the kind of music that when you listen to, you can't move or do anything, you're just paralyzed by the sheer weight of it all. _Black Earth_ makes you feel like the demons of hell are returning from below, reaching into your chest, and trying to take your soul. Highly recommended. 

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Bohren & der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission (2000)

Bohren & der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission (2000)

01. Prowler
02. On Demon Wings
03. Midnight Walker
04. Street Tattoo
05. Painless Steel
06. Darkstalker
07. Nightwolf
08. Black City Skyline
09. Dead End Angels

My Review :  

"Sunset Mission" is another quality release from these Germans. Although it features many of the same traits as their classic "Black Earth" release (which came two years afterwards), this album is not quite as effective. I attribute this to the reduced dark ambient influence which leaves the deeper jazz stuff sounding like .... well... deep jazz. This is not necessarily a problem though as "Sunset Mission" still makes a really lovely accompaniment to a late night in with a book. It's just lacking a little bit of the brooding darkness that made "Black Earth" such a classic release. I suggest treating this album on it's own merits rather than making comparisons. If you don't go into it with the expectation of a dark atmosphere then you'll probably be really pleasantly surprised.

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