Das Mandolinenorchester

Wow! These two women win the award for infectious beats and blending of electro dance beats and rock (see their prevous "76/77" cd), but WAIT: here they haul off and rework all their songs 1998-2004 with (mostly) only a mandolin orchestra (Kapajkos) as backup and some vocal treatments. Truly brilliant as instead of coming across as "unplugged" or "folk versions" of their songs they take on new life while maintaining an electrobounce that is usually associated with the funkiest baddest dancefloor of your dreams. I guess there really is something in the water in Berlin (where these two harken from, singing in english und auf deutsch). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (fans of Raincoats, Nina Hagen, old Foetus, Ultravox, and Balkan folk music).

(btw: these two also win the "nicest butts" award, hands-down... mind you, they are indeed sticking it in your face in a "sex sells" tongue in butt-cheek manner, its not your imagination. check their previous album where they don the same dresses).

1) bouncy infectious beat and melody and vocals
2) eastern folk flare comes through here in this upbeat track
3) a more midpaced minor feel to this (quiet ending resembles dead-air, caution)
4) slow waltz swing, bass and hammond organ join in
5) upbeat near punk urgency, this one does smack of "acoustic version", pretty kick ass
6) holy moly, disjunct sorta hip grinding rhythms of the original are matched, a thing of beauty
7) dramatic flare with breaks, electrodrums buried in there, midpaced
8) auf deutsch, mid paced urgent dramatic crescendos
9) synth melody joins, minor toned upbeat new wavey urgency
10) heres another where the original is so infectious theres no cure for the disease it will give you (that being horniness and happiness) and this re-work has its own special sauce
11) comical feel to this, the inescapable beat is still there, a good 5 seconds of dead air at end so watch out
12) urgent minor toned instrumental