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Einstürzende Neubauten
The Jewels

Potomak Records

Posted: Friday, August 08, 2008
By: Matthew Johnson
Features Editor

For the past few Einstürzende Neubauten albums - really, ever since F.M. Einheit's departure from the band - some critics have levied the complaint that the legendary industrial act has gone soft, too interested in actual songs and melodies and not interested enough in sonic experimentation. The arguable merits of that criticism aside, The Jewels will hopefully put an end to the griping; it seems that Blixa Bargeld and friends have been pursuing their own avant-garde brand of noise-play just as intently as ever, but reserving the most cutting-edge pieces for paying fan club subscribers, with the general public only allowed access to their more conventional compositions. As explained by the bonus video documentary, The Jewels was originally released in pieces via the band's official web site; the pieces comprising it were created via a semi-randomized process, with each member determining his role in a given song by drawing a series of cards imprinted with a phrase, technique, or idea taken from the band's career. To add further unpredictability, Bargeld composed the lyrics from a journal of his dreams. The result, though not as abrasive as such early albums as Halber Mensch, is nonetheless some of the most avant-garde work the band has done in years. It's also surprisingly listenable; though a few tracks, like "I Kissed Glenn Gould," are more sound collage than song proper, most of the pieces on The Jewels embody an unexpected musicality that belies their chaotic roots. On "Hawcubite," Bargeld's unmistakable voice harmonizes with itself from multiple locations over a tinkling bell melody backed by thick bass. "Epharisto" is moody tribal ambient, Bargeld humming wordlessly over the found-object percussion that has become Einstürzende Neubauten's most celebrated element, while "Ansonsten Dostojewsky" is a laidback twanging pop number with jazzy strums, a sort of industrialized take on spaced out lounge music. Of the most conventional pieces, at least by Neubauten standards, "Magyar Energia" is old school, the bass guitar turned into a percussion instrument, the vocals a hypnotic chant, while "Am I Only Jesus?" comes closest to the band's recent commercial releases, moments of a cappella singing interspersed with minimalist clockwork rhythms. Diverse enough to please fans of nearly every period in the German act's influential career, The Jewels is proof positive that Einstürzende Neubauten is as avant-garde and groundbreaking as ever. Industrial fans are lucky that this magnificent collection is now available to the general public.