This album lives at the begining of the last century, Beirut could quite easily be singing in the corner of or outside the workhouse, for me there is a lot of heartfelt emotion here.
I think these songs are like Hemingway's short stories,intelligent and enjoyable.
Forks and Knives transports you to the hospital bed they sing about (you're spared the pain) you could be a soldier there contemplating life.
Religion is here as well "I was standing outside the church door " takes me outside that door!
You can't ignore the Mexican influence in their work, Chanson is a word which immediately springs to mind as well, if you've heard Jaques Brel's Le moribond they covered it on their elephant gun E.P excellently, you would think they wrote it themselves!
Not everyone will like this in fact when I got it the guy at the record shop said he hated it, but it was his biggest seller!

Klangwerk I think translates quite well as soundfactory , if this group had started in England everyone into dance music would have known them . Die kybernauten is a brilliant piece of techno ! ,It starts off ambient, the german language lending a cool atmosphere , the techno then creating an amazing sense of urgency , only when the italo piano starts you realise everything is as it should be . Und Weiter Geht's
(and continue's) I'm not so keen on !

I heard this after my friend got it at eastern block (manchester record shop) in 1991 ,I think .It is original techno ! ,it has a nice eighties vibe ,Kraftwerk/Human League ,If you've heard the instrumental check the vocal as well , hearing dj nipper ( kid unknown ) play it in Preston was quite cool as well at that time ! anyone into techno (old skool) needs this tune ! "Why accept it all"