Schemes [Vinyl]

Kreidler - Schemes [Vinyl]

LP version. On their ninth album for Bureau B, the internationally renowned Berlin/Dusseldorf-based outfit Kreidler focus on atmospheric soundscapes -- of course maintaining their signature rhythmic groove, which on Schemes is simply more buoyant and less insistent. Schemes is also characterized by the more pronounced use of nature/outdoor recordings. The track featuring Leo Garcia as a guest vocalist is based on just such a field recording. With Schemes, Kreidler step into a more ambient space of possibilities, crafting an album that feels both carefully considered and delightfully unguarded. The songs on Schemes are like beads hanging on a string. Each one distinct, yet connected. Swinging in a warm breeze. Catching the light from different angles. The album begins with "Beads," with a funky stabby synth drives the song, which nonetheless maintains a hazy ambivalence. "Klove Twin" begins with tiny bells emanating some foggy substance intoxicating the band into a mid-tempo shuffle with some brash brush strokes. "Scrap Metal" might be the genre. "Snowflakes" are enjoying a summer dance, layers of synth melodies intertwined. "Marble Upset" plays with memory, activating recollections of present past, a slowed down rave, faint images, glimpses and gasps. "Via de me," big city, nocturnal lights, an ambient pop take. It may be really quiet, still there are better things to do than to sleep. Leading to "Fenix": Leo Garcia just happened to be in Berlin for a concert. The old friend from Buenos Aires built his euphoric vocal melody impromptu over a noisy urban field recording. The bird rising up out of the ashes, fighting the miseries, towards the light. It is a protest song of the unusual kind. The home stretch is "Tar," where some cicadas continue in a similar spirit, tiny animals having a night on the tiles. The smell of tar in the sun, soft and deep black, in sharp contrast with the background of gently curved hills, pastel-colored, asking what it takes to live peacefully together. The cover artwork by Luzie Meyer mirrors this spirit: A dialogue of sorts, on a string, a psychoanalytic dance. Ideas clash, yet disputes are solved amicably. 01. Beads 02. Klove Twin 03. Snowflakes 04. Bellboy 05. The distance between you 06. Looming Large 07. Marble Upset 08. Via da me 09. Fenix (feat. Leo Garcia) 10. Tar