Ellen Allien - "Thrills"

i agree. the sounds seem very full and layered. infact you kind of have to play it loud to get the right effect.

OTM on the confidence tip. I think that's what i like it so much, it's like she's hitting a stride. It's arguably more ambitious of her to make such a dark, heavy record.

Berlinette always worked like that for me actually. With some serious volume, less of a 'pop' record and more of a crushing dark matrix industrial-tehnnoid beast of a thing. But still totally human, I felt I'd been wanting someone to make a record like that for years without knowing it.

But back to the thread... 'Thrills'. Wow, it's one hell of a left turn of a record! Going to need a lot more listens to properly evaluate. Nabisco didn't reveal what he was excited about above, but I haven't had such nervous anticipation about a follow up since between *'Debut' and 'Post' (!)

*I don't think she's the 'new Björk' fwiw. But she definitly shares a a similar kind of open-minded approach to music. The old one is still fine by me, but I can see where comparisons could be drawn (strong sense of regional identification in their work, working in two languages, vagina + electronic music (lazy), and Ellen has been known to drop her tracks live when DJ-ing but then a lot of people liked that SPT remix. Ahem). Still feels a little tenuous though.

I had a whole couple of pages of thoughts/reactions/feelings scribbled down about just those soulseduction samples! And now I've heard the full thing, well some of it is still applies, but I'd need to add more, change it around some, to describe the new & unexpected parts on here that make me break out into the biggest shit-eating grin ever.

I'm gobsmacked at the almost reckless bravery of it. I mean, she's virtually thrown away with her 'typical' sound set (Stadtkind/Berlinette/Remix Collection) here and doesn't seem bothered about the potential to fail without it this time round. She got new tools and wants to play! :-P

Doesn't sound much like anything else on Bpitch Control at all and it's certainly harder to hear other production influences this time round (Holger Zilske, Sascha Ring etc).

I can't see everyone being pleased, or following her along in this new direction. I get the feeling she's more than ready to accept this though, although 'Cloudy City' and 'She Is With Me' seem like the possible bridging tracks for fans of her earlier stuff.

On a slightly negative note, I think 'Magma' is my least favourite track here so far, feels slightly ugly and it is just me who hates hearing the last track on a record as the single? So glad I got to hear the whole thing early. But then I really wasn't expecting perfection this time out, I know how these things can go (I try and forget how badly 'Army Of Me' prepared me for 'Post'. That record still starts at track two for me.)

But there are many, many things I like about it so far too. Some of this sounds hilariously out-of-control, like Ellen is barely keeping that ARP from bleeping and bouncing out of the studio and into the streets under it's own unstoppable wayward energy.

Her beautiful, subtle yet strong, enigmatic melodies are still here even in all this flowing chaos. I'm not sure how I feel about the comparative lack of vocals so far either, they are there, but often much more direct when used. It still sounds more of a techno thing to me than electro-house, although 'Naked Rain' is kinda deep-house in a way. And 'Down' yeah, is more electro-y. It's just that it's as a whole so much less electro than her previous stuff, and so much weirder, frankly.

If I had to decribe it in less words than I've used so far I'd say: Vaguely Germanic beats meets Giorgio Moroder, LFO & the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Thinking of which I wonder whether I should try to hear that Emporer Machine record from last year if I like this. Seemed to be exploring similar territory.

I'm still leaning towards fucking awesome btw, I might have lost the main thrust of my point in all this chatter ;-) There's stuff going on in this record that absolutely kills.

I think I'm going to go listen some more now :-)

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned 'Washing Machine Is Speaking' yet - that tune is just HUGE.

Agree it is kind of more 'immediate' than Berlinette. It's almost too giving at times, almost ever track having some 'peak' ridiculously intense dissolving-into-bliss moment. I think 'epic' is the word indeed. It's still very grounded though, pushing at the machines really hard. In some ways more brutal than Berlinette, less controlled. I'm reckoning I'll probably end up playing this as much as 'Stadtkind' or 'Remix Collection' but not everyday. It's a bit too exhausting for that.

I'm sure some of the dissapointment here is due to the lack of more typically song-like material. I think it's closer to the aims of the more moving vocal-free parts of Stadtkind, or 'Dresden'. Listening to the samples before I'd quite expected 'She Is With Me' to spin off into something with more content (and to have spanked anything on Berlinette, in fact I'd be happy if this was the last track on 'Thrills' I adore it still). I'm still trying to throw off one or two other early-listening presumptions... mostly because they (I realise now) were all retro-active and coloured by expectations this would still be (in full) more like her previous work.

I'm suspecting this may sound a bit clearer/better mixed when the CD/Vinyl arrives too. I ran encspot over the tracks and got fhg/fastenc at flat 192kbps. My hearing isn't usually that sensitive but these leaks are probably a step down quality wise from LAME VBR and I certainly always put on the original of 'Berlinette' when I had the chance, it made a huge difference to my enjoyment.

I dunno, I'm getting sick of thinking about it now and feel like I'm repeating myself. I've lost the will to polish up the track-by-track review thang I started (I'm not even a journo, i just get a lot out of her music & wish I was better at translating why into print (last bit goes for all the music I like too). It's a fantastic record, very complete & holding up to repeat listens but not exactly an easy 'follow-up' and in some ways flawed, anticlimatic even ('Magma' is okay but no 'Open' by comparison in the best-album-closer-ever stakes) also my expectations had been unattainably high. I mean she basically had me for life at Berlinette!

first part was all jump-up bpitch crowd-rockers a'la 'My Parade', last hour(?) was a smooth glide of weird, dark and interesting (but not cold) electro that just seemed almost magical. 'Cloudy City' could easily have been slotted in there.

But Thrills, it's a bit IDM isn't it? But not exactly really emotive, for me, yet, either.

x-post don't be silly!

But would have needed 1000 words to get my point across.

As far as IDM goes... really? It seems like the least IDM thing she's done recently. For me 'Berlinette' dragged everything I like about that side of electronic music and gave it back heart, soul & a (4/4) pulse, returned it to techno nicely & without compromise. I still think it's incredibly under-appreciated on that level alone. The closest thing I can think of hearing since in a similar vein might be that Robag Whrume album. Which isn't close at all.

'Under-appreciated' to me probably = I won't be happy till I see her records in Virgin Megastore though ;-)

I guess she has recognition in all the places she wants to. And I'd rather see her cross-over on her own terms eventually.

I suspect that she's taken the IDM-ish direction as far as she felt possible for the time being. I didn't feel like the 'Astral' e.p. was as inspired, even as a dancefloor record & 'Bang Bang' was clearly moving further into the realm of things = more complicated/less danceable. Whereas 'Berlinette' got it absolutely spot on.

brilliantly otm.

Ronan, how do you find Thrills more IDM-y than Berlinette? It seems like a much more straightforwardly dance album to me, whereas Berlinette veered from maximalist bangers to glitchy experiments which could never have been meant for the dancefloor (or, fandango otm).

http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1TTA49BNJK1XP2QJEUHCQ4Z8TH

Has anyone (non-promo/press/DJ people) been able to get the single yet? I'm not sure if it isn't really out, or just sold out right now. Some of the catalouge is. Frustrating because I was going to order a few other 12"s at the same time (don't know if it makes any difference to the postage cost).

obligatory mailout with small bit of news

OUT NOW
ELLEN ALLIEN – „MAGMA“ (BPC 105)
NEW SINGLE INCL. REMIXES BY THE MFA & MODESELEKTOR

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

COMING SOON
ELLEN ALLIEN – „THRILLS“ (BPC106LP/CD)
NEW ALBUM INCL. BONUS VIDEO „DOWN“

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

„THRILLS“ RECORD RELEASE PARTY
IN ASSOCIATION WITH DESIGNMAI-YOUNGSTERS

ELLEN ALLIEN
JENNIFER CARDINI
THE MFA (LIVE)
LIKE A TIM (LIVE)
MDSLKTR DJ TEAM

MAY 15TH 2005, 11PM

WMF @ KUNSTFABRIK
AM FLUTGRABEN 3
12435 BERLIN

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ELLEN ALLIEN / THRILLS TOUR

APRIL 22ND 2005 / GB / LONDON / THE POKE
APRIL 23RD 2005 / GB / CAMBER SANDS / ALL TOMORROW PARTIES
APRIL 29TH 2005 / DE / REGENSBURG / SUITE 15
APRIL 30TH / CH / GENEVA / WEETAMIX

MAY 7TH 2005 / ES / FRAGA / FLORIDA 135
MAY 13TH 2005 / DE / STUTTGART / M1
MAY 14TH 2005 / NL / EINDHOVEN / DE STRIJP / ELECTRONOVA
MAY 15TH 2005 / DE / BERLIN / WMF @ KUNSTFABRIK
MAY 20TH 2005 / FR / AIX EN PROVENCE / CLUB 88
MAY 21ST 2005 / FR / NANTES / OLYMPIC
MAY 25TH 2005 / DE / NUERNBERG / HIRSCH
MAY 27TH 2005 / IT / TURIN / BEACHCLUB / XPLOSIVA
MAY 28 TH 2005 / FR / PARIS / REX

JUNE 3RD 2005 / CH / ZÜRICH / TONHALLE
JUNE 4TH 2005 / GB / LONDON / KOKO / EAT YOUR OWN EARS
JUNE 18TH 2005 / ES / BARCELONA / SONAR
JUNE 23RD 2005 / DE / MÜNCHEN / HARRY KLEIN
JUNE 24TH 2005 / GB / GLASTONBURY / FESTIVAL (fuck fuck no ticket fuck fucks).

I'm assuming that's what blackmail.is.my.life is listening to?

I was fairly tempted to fork out for one that got offered on ebay recently... but the thought of it having copy-bleeps on, and possibly not having the vid make me not bother. That and it's not SO long to wait now for a real copy.

i listened to this on a brief walk and have to say that it's a lot of fun. i'm guessing something will happen with this and a few other things at the stypod in the near future.

xpost - which German techno albums is Berlinette blander than? (or, request for suggestions plz) Genuinely curious. It hooked me from the word go for literally months and well, I like it and rate it more than I want to say (out of fear of ridicule mostly). I'll see how I feel about it in five years time :-)

xxpost - don't sleep on Stadtkind, all her mix cd's are pretty exceptional, weiss.mix maybe having a slight over the others for badass-ness.

second thoughts: "a million other German techno albums" maybe only like 10-20 suggestions! I seem to buy a few already and a million would surely bankrupt me for good ;-)