The opening suite, "Tour de France Etapes 1-3" was suddenly a soundtrack to those repetitive, predictable, functional, though not dislikeable movements we experience each day. A journey to work on the train for example; it’s necessary, functional, driven, motivated, outcome-focused. It’s the same every day, only slightly different. Marginally different faces in the seat opposite, marginally different weather outside the windows… and so the suite goes. It’s locked into a groove with its passengers being the sounds, motifs, and vocoded comments embarking, remarking, and alighting every so often… and without changing the material nature of what’s really taking place.
Further on, there’s "Vitamin." Again, in terms of arrangement, it’s a repetitive fallback to their early Krautrock days without the pop-single approach of their 1980s work. A detached voice, slightly erring towards the style of early hip-hop performers, recites the names of vitamin and mineral types in German, without any additional narrative.
"Mineral Biotin Zink Selen L-Carnitin;
Adrenalin Endorphin Elektrolyt Co-Enzym.
Carbo-Hydrat Protein;
A-B-C-D Vitamin ..."
I’d say it’s essential, but that gets overused. This album is life-affirming, and a most vital organ indeed.
Article comments
1 - Simon Fay
I might have been better disposed to this record if it had come out straight after the glorious title-track single did, rather than requiring 20 baffling, barren years of incubation whose subsequent lack of output just heightens my annoyance at Hutter/Schneider's gross waste of time and further potential. Agree that 'Vitamin' is a corker.