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Kling Klang: The Esthetik Of Destruction
by Mike Diver
What, exactly, is the average consumer of music’s many forms to make of this, the long-awaited (in certain circles) debut album from Liverpool-based purveyors of drum-and-synth oppression Kling Klang? Your dad – my dad – would refer to it simply as “noise”, and while this is unfair to some degree – there are tunes here, buried beneath motorik beats and fuzzy hums from vintage keyboards – it’s nevertheless an opinion with one toe dipped in the pool of everything fact, as The Esthetik Of Destruction is as difficult to digest as its title is to spell. ‘Esthetik’, is that supposed to be clever or something?
A compilation of many a seven-inch and EP release, with a few unreleased efforts fleshing it out to fifteen tracks, The Esthetik… is a hard-going affair – it’s more inaccessible, even, than the outfit that the quintet so obviously steal their name from. (Well, from their studio, anyway.) Juggling pigeonholes like krautrock, drone and synth-punk and letting the proverbial balls fall makes a hella mess, but one that summarises this sound, near enough. It’s based on repetition and a total disregard for the notion of commercial music; it buzzes and pops, fizzes and thumps for forty-fucking-five minutes, during which time only the most cyborg-ian of individual won’t reach for the skip button.
A few thousand squelches and synth belches after the record began, it collapses like one of those Star Wars four-legged walking tank things – you know, on that icy planet – once its limbs have been yanked from under it. Smash, bang, wallop: shall we go around again?
Nah, ta. For once I’ll side with pops.
From the archive
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hmmm
i haven't heard this yet, but the superposition ep they released years ago is bloody fantastic. synth beatdowns in heavydale! oh yes.
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well
I would also be interested in hearing it. The EP is great but the fact the album has taken sooo long is not a good sign. I've a feeling the talented one went off to join Chimp as well.
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I loved Superposition
and have been waiting a long time for this release.
Mr Divers review upsets me.
But I will still check it out.
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4 out of 10???
really? ive heard a lot of good things about this. i will have to listen...hmm.
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yeah..
i really hope the diver is wrong on this one
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Buffoonery
Clearly Mr Dithers has no love for underground, minimalist music, to slate such sounds as uncommercial is missing the point and ignoring the true utility of this music. I would suggest that the reviewer sticks with The Magic Numbers and Fiona Apple and leave the noise to the big boys. By the way mate, it's called an At-At. I suspect you're too young to remember. P.S. your dad is square, mine likes Krautrock. Clumsy, lazy review.
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Buffoonery
Clearly Mr Dithers has no love for underground, minimalist music, to slate such sounds as uncommercial is missing the point and ignoring the true utility of this music. I would suggest that the reviewer sticks with The Magic Numbers and Fiona Apple and leave the noise to the big boys. By the way mate, it's called an At-At. I suspect you're too young to remember. P.S. your dad is square, mine likes Krautrock. Clumsy, lazy review.
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Incorrect info
As far as I'm aware all this material was done before Joe M. did a stint with part Chimp. He's still in Kling Klang, and wasn't the only talented one.
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you is a wrong'un diver
....i listened to it last weekend and it totally rocks. also saw them live last sat at chimp's studio and they we fucking ace - blew the PA up and everything. can't wait to see them next fri at the buffalo bar - all hail silver rocket.
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I like Kling Klang, live.
I don't like this.
Whatever, likes. -
wrong
the album took a long time to come out because kling klang split up... and, several years later (ie, recently) they re-formed and released this. and yup, joe joined part chimp, but he's left them and is still in kling klang. and as amboss notes below, he isn't the only talented one. the line up at the moment features people from Oi Polloi (!!!) and and ex A.P.a.T.t dude.
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industrialsnuffjazzelektrofest
kraftwerk - inaccessible? dont make me laugh -and you're probaly judging your theory on autobhan and post autobhan material. all the way back in the late 60s, when they were known as organisation, kraftwerk were making very accessible, and cool, music.
esthetik is a monumental hyrid of neu!, magma, suicide and sabbath. the beauty of it all is in the way it's lavished with repetion, simplicity and, overall, a freedom to experiment that seems, but should not be (2007!!), so exciting and fresh.
the spirit of some of the most exciting, downright grounbreaking, bands of 20th century musical history is channeled through the klang's amps. the thing is though, they never sound like anything other than kling klang, they play that game and win. that's why they are so important and so godamn shit hot.
buy this album, buy on sight, dip your mothers purse and take a beating off the old man for this album. esthetik kicks ass; big time!!!
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