If the origin of the Kammerflimmer Kollektief sound
can be found in free jazz and folk, Cicadidae,
the band’s third album confronts acoustic and
electronic instrumentations, depicting cinematic landscapes
and spacious harmonies. Here, the sextet, originally
the solo project of Thomas Webber, now augmented of
the musical talents of Heike Aumüller (sound processing),
Chris Brunner (drums and vibraphone), Dietrich Foth
(sax), Johannes Frisch (double bass) and Heike Wendelin
(violin), explore the boundaries between post rock,
jazz and electronica.
Started by Thomas Webber in his bedroom, in Karlsruhe,
south Germany, as an ambient project, Kammerflimmer
Kollektief expanded to a full sextet towards the end
of the nineties, following the release of Webber’s
first album, Mäander, on Payola. Wishing
to take his music to a different level, allowing for
live performances, Webber gave the band the master copies
of Mäander, encouraging them to study
the structures of his compositions and reinterpret them.
The resulting work, build around a series of improvisation
sessions, was published as the band’s second release,
Incommunicado, a year later. After releasing
a mini album on Afterhours, Kammerflimmer Kollektief
has now safely landed on Cologne-based Staubgold and
finally present their third album. Continuing their
inexorable exploration of sound, producer Thomas Webber
and his band soften the orchestral jazz excursions of
Incommunicado and present a more accessible.
Less spontaneous than its predecessor, Cicadidae
also benefits of a much more mature and balanced approach.
Extracting the essence of their multiple influences,
the band project their musical fantasies on these ten
hybrid nonchalant instrumentals. In just over forty
minutes, the Kollektief weave apoplectic electronic
noises into jazz and post-rock improvisations, cleverly
balancing the abstract nature of the compositions with
beautiful melodies. Extensively playing on the dichotomy
of structure, the band avoid loosing sight of their
compositions by resolutely remaining into definite live
territories. Neumond Inselhim, which opens
the album, is a perfect illustration of what Cicadidae
has to offer. The constant ebb and flow of noises, reaching
chaotic proportions on a few occasions, doesn’t
seem to disturb the progression of the melody drawn
on an acoustic guitar, overlaid on sumptuous orchestral
waves. Über Die Wasserscheide appears
more peaceful and straightforward, yet the sudden outburst
of glitches half way through gives the piece a more
perverse feel. Blood that follows is by all
means one of the highlights of this record. Building
on the notion of space, KK beautifully alternate between
the various poles of their soundscape to build a very
textured and charged piece. The rest of the album remains
extremely consistent despite the diverse approaches
adopted by the band, all contributing to make Cicadidae
a challenging, yet enjoyable experience.
With this first album for Staubgold, Kammerflimmer Kollektief
show an interesting take on contemporary music by ignoring
rules and boundaries, expanding in the process the scope
of their compositions. Cicadidae is not so
much the continuation of their previous album as the
work of a band laying the foundations for much more
mature and intricate sonic experimentations.
4.2/5 |
