Ellen Allien - "Thrills"

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 ;-)

OK, I exaggerated a bit :) ... but I thought that "Berlinette" tried to cover "minimalism" + "playful melodies", much in the same vein as The Modernist (actually, like most of Jorg Burger's work), Jurgen Paape, and Salz. "Berlinette" is half of a good album but it just didn't hook me for 50 minutes.

*eyes cheapish Modernist album suspiciously* I do NOT need more German electronic music this month >_< This stuff is like crack.

Also a free CD ... but it's boring as hell, despite a trendy label selection [wave music, rz, get physical, kailash, traum, mood music, mental groove, 2020 vision, sexonwax, more music, superfred].