Ellen Allien - Berlinette

A great album from Ellen Allien -- BERLINETTE has all the qualities goingn for it: funky, bright, moody. The opener "Alles Schen" is a shiny piece of tech-house, all the more catchy with her mysterious German vocals. The track develops in fascinating ways: when the vocals reappear, it's accompanied by both a delicate descending synth line and some electronic squiggles. "Sehnsucht" is much more straightforward in its darker sound that grows in intensity and mood. The funk breaks on "Push" certainly do kick ass, while the breaks get a little more abstract and industrial on "Trash Scapes." "Augenblick" and "Wish" both show the more thoughtful side of Ellen Allien. "Open" closes the album, with a artful blend of tech-breaks, guitar and industrial hiss. This great blend of styles and techniques make for an outstanding album.

Don't be put off by the mention of 'electroclash' above, because electroclash has taken more from ellen allien than ellen allien from electroclash. 'Berlinette' consists of the typical Ellen Allien sound, which can be taken quite literally since the same 'sound' (literally) can be heard throughout many of the numbers, which in this case is a good thing: the album is moody without being sentimental, dark without being cheesy and thick without being grotesque. Something for very late evenings/early mornings in the clubs or on a lonely afternoon at home.