Tracklist:
“I AM BACK” * “Grande Dame” * “Ein Saeugetier Wie Ich” * “Heisser Scheiss” * “Ode 2 Friendship” * “Berlin” * “Another Song” * “Mongo, Mongo!” * “A Place” * “Hit (By a Meteor)” * “Die letzte Party”
About Truemmerfrau:
Truemmerfrau are an electronic music duo formed in 2006 by Janne Pawelczyk (vocals, music, lyrics) and Toni (live keys, backingvox). After a first album in 2008, “Musika Mottekki”, they come back with a new release on June 24, 2011: “Geschmacksmusterverletzung” with Remote Music. Meanwhile, the duo kept themselves busy with various performances and also contests: they were a top finalist in Dortmund Dance Track competition, and won the Urban Electronics DJ Battle in Osnabrueck – thus proving that their merits of mixing genre boundaries and getting together the acts of electronic, EBM and even dance and techno are not a far-fetched musical contraption, but a genre in itself.
Truemmerfrau, who take pride in their being influenced by artists as diverse as Mr. Oizo, David Guetta, Covenant, D.A.F. or And One, tested their European fanbase’s reaction to their new album in recent live performances, and satisfied with the result, decided to put together an album with a long and catchy title: “Geschmacksmusterverletzung” – a legal term that refers to patent infringement and that is tell-tale of the groundbreaking and mischievous act Tuemmerfrau are up to!
Truemmerfrau – “Geschmacksmusterverletzung” Viva Music Album Review:
Too long and too catchy to be a mere intro, “I AM BACK” has a teasing potential that is enhanced by the feminine and rave crowd inserts. Not merely a dancefloor anthem either, “I AM BACK” sets the whole album in motion while setting up the main traits: minimal vocals, well-chartered instrument, and just a tinge of techno scaffolded on an up and running EBM body of sound.
The same traits are purported by “Grande Dame” – a laid-back, but not at all superficial vision of the power games lovers and passing love interests played by humans, as well as by “Ein Saeugetier Wie Ich”. However, “Ein Saeugetier Wie Ich” is naughtier and more visceral in sound by its interposition of the realm of the body on the emotional scene. Cocky, yet discreet (some people might even call that “geeky”), the song is really playing it by heart and the freshness of the sound goes hand in hand with ingenuity and mystery-ridden atmosphere of previous tracks.
While we will leave it up to your Google Translate skills to grasp the meaning of “Heisser Scheiss”, behind the name lies a beautiful track, emotive at moments, and dazzling at others. The tinge of irony that belies the title itself is, besides being a stylistic mark of the lyrics, a great musical theme, and possibly, it reflects on our approach to superficiality. There is nothing superficial or ironic in the next title of the album, however: “Ode 2 Friendship” is a straightforward anthem that keeps hidden behind its solemnity vibrant feelings and although this musical bit is superseded by the other tracks’ accomplishments, it may be the case the minimal sound chosen for this track is meant to cast better light on the verbal message rather than showcasing sound.
There is patent infringement for sure in “Berlin”. If you ever wanted to cast the character and texture of Berlin in a song, it probably would be similar with Truemmerfrau’s “Berlin”: invasive, electric, ironic, sensuous, and with a natural cadence. It is not the case with “Another Song”, a mocking title in a way, since it is not just another song, but an escalating anthem with sufficient musicality and straightforwardness to keep you tethered for a while. “Mongo, Mongo!” retains the EBM edge of Truemmerfrau and probably expresses it at its best on the album.
If there is something about “A Place” that makes you finicky, do not mistrust your senses. Combining in a very cunning way the ‘good parts’ of techno to classical electronica and a tiny pinch of EBM, “A Place” is definitely a song that surely deserves air- and club plays galore. And if you have ever wondered what it feels like to be “Hit (By a Meteor)”, it is high time you feel it as the penultimate track of the album gives you the necessary symptoms and, why not, the groove.
An uneventful end to the album is brought by “Die letzte Party”, not coincidentally thus titled, a song that drives you out of the party organized by Truemmerfrau with their forthcoming “Geschmacksmusterverletzung”, not because it is a party crasher, but because it makes it clear: it is the last party, the world as we know it may soon end and still there is reason enough to celebrate.
“Geschmacksmusterverletzung” is an album worth listening for a number of reasons: first and foremost, it is a good example of contemporary electronica and its petal genres; then because as the title of the album goes, there is a sort of impish, childish play with the boundaries of genres, roles, and even the notion of musicality that is interesting enough for you to keep your ears pricked in the process of listening to it. And last, but not least, despite sporadic outbursts, it is one of the most becalming and pacifist new albums of 2011: you cannot not like it, and you cannot not agree to Truemmerfrau.