Duo505 – Late

If B. Fleischmann's solo work is mostly about the pretty, then his work with Herbert Weixelbaum as Duo505, brings the grit into the pretty. "Tsip Tsap" takes the melodic bits and sets them against a much harsher electronic grind, even as it devolves into chaos. "Lsdj08" starts out with a preset rhythm, and as the strings build, in comes the 8-bit electro flavors. LATE seems to bounce between these poles -- the melodic covered under a layer of hiss and distortion and video game blippery. "Facing It" has almost a mechanical, industrial feel before the main theme comes in, and even the guitar on "Toru Okada" disappears under the noise. "Nochwas" goes for the game-feel again, this time with a pounding beat, and the final track, "Disco + Bett" has its bell-tones swimming amongst heavy distortion. Maybe not to everyone's taste, but worth a listen.