Superpitcher ‎– Kilimanjaro

Superpitcher's long awaited second album is an enjoyable, if fairly standard Kompakt outing - although I'm not quite sure what that means, since Kompakt really enjoys mixing things up on us. Evidently, so does Superpitcher, as "Kilimanjaro" carries some of the doom and gloom of the predecessor, but integrates it well with the more linear sound that characterizes most of his best singles. As a result, "Kilimanjaro" is a far more consistent listen than the debut, and even though it does occasionally seem like it is working in two extremes, Schaufler balances it well. That said, the best tracks on the album are undoubtedly the ones more reminiscent of the latter extreme: the driving "Country Boy", the paranoid "Friday Night", and the particularly stunning "Black Magic", which is stylistically something like Superpitcher meets Closer Musik, thanks to the vocal preening of Rebolledo. For fans of his moodier work, don't fret; "Joanna" is more or less a retake on "Even Angels", "Who Stole The Sun" is extremely reminiscent of "Shadows" (one of his earliest tracks, see Total 2), and "Give Me My Heart Back" is somewhat like a less propulsive "Lovers Rock". And it would be remiss of me to review this album and not give a mention to lead single "Rabbits In A Hurry", which (like "Voodoo") is a dramatic improvement over his other Environ-esque tracks that have appeared on the last few editions of Total. Perhaps the biggest surprise (and interruption) of "Kilimanjaro" is the gorgeous ambiance of "Moon Fever", which will hopefully translate into appearances on subsequent editions of Pop Ambient.

In short, if you enjoyed Superpitcher's earlier singles, but were put off by "Here Comes Love", you'll probably enjoy "Kilimanjaro". If you're a diehard fan, you'll love it. As for the newcomer, this is a good place to start, both with Superpitcher and with Kompakt.