Dolores [Vinyl]

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Dolores [Vinyl]

Formed in Mülheim an der Ruhr in 1992, Bohren & der Club of Gore emerged from the German hardcore and metal scene only to abandon it almost entirely - slowing their music to a crawl and inventing a genre all their own. Blending the hushed melancholy of jazz with the weight and menace of doom, the band pioneered what became known as "doom jazz" or "noir jazz": glacial, instrumental soundscapes built from mournful saxophone, spectral Rhodes, brooding piano, deep double bass and the softest brush of drums.

"Dolores" (2008), their sixth album, is arguably the most elegant expression of that art. Across ten pieces and a taut 58 minutes, mournful saxophone, softly glowing Rhodes, brushed drums and deep, patient bass drift by like smoke in an empty late-night bar. Widely regarded as one of the band's finest and most accessible entry points, "Dolores" is slow, beautiful and quietly devastating - an essential piece of the Bohren catalogue and a cornerstone of any discerning collection.