Katzchenkollision

There is nothing secret about the synths on this album; they either share
the lead or take the starring role throughout. The synth sound is very
crunchy and old school. However, the singer seems to have a very limited range, making the vocals rather flat. Most
songs are quite short. This album would be
great for falling asleep to, if you didn't mind the occasional pop groove
as you drifted off. Try: 5, 8.

1. Starts off with drums, then the synths kick in in a sweet, likable
melody. Artless, straightforward female vocals. Reminiscent of some
innocent dreamy stuff off Slumberland Records.

2. Introduces the album-long theme of long instrumental intros, this one
starts off slow and hypnotic before kicking into the next gear with
distorted background vocals doing a call-and-response with the clearer
foreground vox. The instrumental bridge is the best part.

3. Starts off like more of a rock song. Kind of cute, this song is like a slightly mellower Le Tigre, if Le Tigre didn't do guitars.

4. Fast, boppy, and crunchy.

**5. Starts off cute, with the drum
machine and boinky synth playing off each other. More melodic and varied than previous offerings. While the chorus
brings more creative vocals, the singing on the verses remains pretty
flat.

6. Instrumental. Sounds like a spacecraft taking off. The 3-note melody
becomes grating after awhile. There are hints of this turning into
something more full-fledged, complex, and charming, but they don't
materialize, just fade away.

7. Rather long and soporific, this reminded me of nothing so much as the
Russian-themed tune from Tetris.

**8. The other standout: nice echoey long intro, again rather hypnotic.
Various instruments get some layering in there, making for a rich sound.
Like a combo of Kenickie plus Add N to X, maybe. Around 2:50 it stops
being mesmerizing and throws in a bit of crunch, building up more
complexity. Very nice; the harmonics are lovely.

9. You can hear the hiss of the synth in the background of this one! The
melody is a few notes away from the "Inspector Gadget" theme song. Again,
a very simplistic melody. Kind of like the last track on Gary Numan's
"Replicas" album, "When the Machines Rock."

10. Sequel to track 6, only 45 seconds long.

11. The vocals make their return in full-fledged girlie pop mode. I'm
really expecting handclaps, but no handclaps appear. Cute.

12. Brings the album to a floaty, dreamy close. The guitar sound is very
reminiscent of Low. Sounds like the musicians were just playing around
with the sounds they could make, but the timing on the various layers
doesn't quite match up right, leading to a syncopation that's a little
jarring.

--riana