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On his fifth album, of which large parts were created during the tiring, most difficult global corona pandemic and lockdown, Gerald Arend addresses global themes and worldly affairs through his music. Compared to his previous releases, the sonic narrative of the 78-minute “Here and Why” is dressed quite profoundly with comparatively dark, gothic, and gloomy vibes. Klangwelt’s signature sound with a large range of rhythmic patterns is still present, but there are also many subtle vocalizations, field recordings, and sound effects noticeable. After a trio of darker-shaded cinematic tracks, a mix of positive, uplifting, and engaging realms with a slight Jarre-Esque touch are encountered on the quite catchy “Futurist” and “Noir”, followed by “Muse” later on. A nice nod toward Kraftwerk surfaces on “Information” while denser currents take the stage on “Escape” and the first half of “Attic”. At the tail of the release, emotions take off more profoundly and fly high in lush spirals on “Ago” as well as on the closing piece “An Explanation of Life”. The latter is a heartfelt nod and wink to Gerald’s dear friend Ulrich Mühl (aka Roger Universe) who passed away recently and who acted as his key pre-listening audience in the previous 20 years. So despite being a slightly different breed to the prior Klangwelt releases, “Here and Why” makes a fine, excellently engineered album with deeper content and flow. |
| Website: www.klangwelt.info
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