|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$15.99 CD
$9.99 MP3
|
|
ELLEN ALLIEN
Dust
(BPitch Control)
Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store
Berlin's Ellen Allien is a force to be reckoned with in the electronic music world; she's a prolific producer, jet-setting DJ, and head of the much-respected BPitch Control label -- that's not even mentioning her fashion line. Though she's never one to shy away from pop elements in her productions, Ms. Allien has always incorporated a wide swath of electronic sub-genres and sounds into her distinctive brand of dance music: electro, IDM, minimal, tech-house, glitch-funk, digital disco... Add to this 2008's bare-boned Sool, probably her deepest, most experimental album, which came across to many listeners as a reaction to the very accessible, lush tech-pop of 06's Orchestra of Bubbles, it was impossible not to wonder what Allien's next move would be. This brings us to Dust, an album that finds the pendulum swinging back towards the sounds of Orchestra, meaning a focus on melody. Adding German electronic music veteran Tobias Freund to her list of album collaborators (which in the past have included AGF, Apparat and Smash TV), Allien opens the record with "Our Utopie," the track's ringing chimes melting the icy delivery of her spoken vocal, and then heads into dancefloor-friendly minimal electro with "Flashy Flashy," in which Allien duets with a possessed sounding, pitch-shifted version of herself, chanting "Flashy, flashy, flashy, flashy disco lights" over the choppy, bouncing bass. Her two poppiest outreaches here, though, are a mixed bunch; "Sun the Rain" is an uninspired detour into indietronica that's propelled by a tepid beat and relies on several layers of generic guitars to carry the song musically -- even Allien's signature vocals can't save this one. In contrast, "You" is also carried by guitar, but this track nicely unfolds into a great, sultry piece of melancholic pop that's sure to perk the ears of many Lali Puna fans.
As with any Allien album, Dust is not without its abstract side; the somnambulant instrumental "Should We Go Home" ascends from a warm bed of synths, slow modulating tones and faint layers of exotic, ghostly voices and turns out to be seven of the record's most entrancing minutes, while "Ever" is just as hypnotizing, albeit it's a more clubby slice of minimal techno with crystalline music box tones that flutter in, out and around the looped beat. Elsewhere, Allien gives a nod to the slippery, tropic influence of the Compass Point All Stars on "Huibuh," a track that delightfully equates to a late night spent walking in the (Berlin) rain. What Dust lacks in stylistic fluidity is more than made up for in diversity, and when played from start to finish the album does flow quite nicely. One can only suspect that for this outing Allien was, more so than ever, looking to merge her pop sensibilities with her minimal and experimental sides, and simply have a little fun in the process. No matter what her name may suggest, she is human after all. [GH]
Order CD by Texting "omcdellendust" to 767825 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|