Kammerflimmer Kollektief
Cicadidae
Temporary Residence
From the opening spray of electronic mist on “Neumond inselhin” it’s obvious that Cicadidae is a winner. Kammerflimmer Kollektief do to German electro-jazz what Sonna did to Chicago post-rock: remove all the cold, calculated angles and let the music exist nebulously, moving of its own accord. As a result, there’s very little structure and form to this album. The rhythm section is extremely loose and subdued, often existing only to provide a subtle pulse as a hypnotic counterbalance to the lead instruments’ (brass, strings, electronics, etc.) droning, flowing tonalities. The juxtaposition of these two lulling sound patterns makes for an incredibly soothing lyricless lullaby. “Mantra,” possibly the disc’s best track, deviates from this track slightly by featuring one of the more prominent and enticing heartbeat rhythms, which coaxes out a playful and sophisticated horn melody. It’s grand stuff.
For the most part, this album is steeped in summer swelter, dark nights and verdant landscapes, but occasionally songs like “Sie tranken Regen (Version)” cast some icy chill to the surroundings with staccato violins, somber horns and crisp, quickening percussion. “Eiderdaunen (gerupft)” continues in this pattern, playing out like a smoky, Siberian Portishead instrumental minus the turntable foolishness.
This review may be quite late in coming (the album was released August of last year), but just think of it as our way of keeping the positive press for an excellent band alive during their down time between albums. If you don’t buy that, how about, better late than never•
Temporary Residence: [www.temporaryresidence.com/](http://www.temporaryresidence.com/)
