The third release from this band sees them dropping back to 3 members.
Celebrity wise, they’ve notably lost bass-player Stefan Schneider, who
records as Mapstation and is a member of To Rococo Rot. They happily make
up the line up with a session bassist contributing to the majority of tracks.
Kreidler have always struck me as very functional – doing exactly what
needs to be done to make each track work. Their previous albums, Weekend
and Appearance and the Park sounded like the product of a band either
totally unaware of the zeitgeist or purposely ignoring it. Here the feel is
moving more towards something more poppy, lush, if also a bit generic.
Chain Reaction-style reverb drenched chords on some tracks, Detroit-like
synth strings left right and centre, house beats here and there, samples
filtering about the place. Percussive elements pop and roll and squelch
through effects like… well, like pretty much anyone you care to name.
Regardless, don’t let it sound like I’m saying Kreidler are short of ideas.
Cult songwriter Momus lends vocals to one track, elsewhere samples of old
sounding records get played in loosely so they don’t quite sync up, and
solid rhythms and harmonies abound throughout. Twisted, atonal bits find
their way in there, providing as much edge as is required to balance the
more saccharine moments. Towards the latter end of the album they throw in
“Ashes” and “Lanzelot”, two mutant house grooves, kind of like where To
Rococo Rot sometimes head when the mood takes them.
Through all these adventures, Kreidler come through sounding focused and
assured, both within each track and in terms of cohesiveness of the album
as a whole.
