Dark, stark minimalist electro pop is Barbara Morgenstern’s thing. There are, however, two essential elements that keep ‘Sweet Silence’ on the warmer side of glacial, the first being the analogue tones of the electronic instrumentation, the other being Barbara’s voice which is soft yet expressive.
It’s the perfect combination for the most part, from the sleek retro disco of ‘Need to Hang Arounf’ to the glitchy beats that drive ‘Kookoo’. Elsewhere, ‘Highway’ is a pretty straightforward softly softly almost ballad, but it provides contrast and the atmosphere that builds is nice and lushly melodic with layers of multitracked harmony. The simplicity of the compositions and the uncluttered instrumentation allows the subtle melodies to come to the fore.
The jazzy salsa vibe of ‘Night-Time Fall’s is pleasant enough but it doesn’t do to delve too deeply into the lyrics, which are less than sophisticated – or, moreover, not nearly as sophisticated as they present as being. Similarly, the lyrics of ‘Auditorium’ awkwardly straddle the divide between ‘kookie’ and ‘bad new age mystic drivel’ (‘This room is endless / I expand to it / Growing all my branches / Reaching out....’)
|
Still, some leeway ought to be granted given that English isn’t Barbara’s native tongue, and ‘Sweet Silence’ is her first release not sung in German. If you can let the words drift over you without paying too much attention or trying to unravel them, ‘Sweet Silence’ is an elegant and enjoyable album.
Barbara Morgenstern on MySpace
|
