Wednesday, April 30, 2014
12 O'Clock Track / Music / Post No Bills 12 O'Clock Track: Driving, organ-stoked cool from Klaus Johann Grobe
Posted By Peter Margasak on 04.30.14 at 12:00 PM
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- courtesy of Trouble in Mind Records
- Klaus Johann Grobe
Over crisp, lean Krautrock-derived rhythms—some recall the motorik groove of Neu! while others have that postdisco hi-hat throb—Sevi Landolt sings in German (even when the song titles are in English) and lays down hypnotic, skittery organ licks and swells as well as well-placed analog synthesizer patterns. Klaus Johann Grobe's music is crafty in its insinuating charm. At times the organ tone suggests the cheesy lounge flavor of Brazilian keyboardist Walter Wanderley, providing a kind of balance to the terse, hard-hitting grooves meted out by drummer Daniel Bachmann. The album's nine tunes convey a wide variety of moods and melodic shapes, but on today's 12 O'Clock Track, "Between the Buttons," the vibe is pure forward motion, with a propulsive, sinister bass line, tightly coiled beats, and staccato organ stabs supporting the chill singing.
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