To Rococo Rot, The Amateur View (Mute/fusion Iii)

Posted December 31st, 1998 by admin

To Rococo Rot
The Amateur View
Mute/fusion Iii
By: Jason Anderson

This impeccably stylish album is the third by this trio of visual artists from Dusseldorf and Berlin. It’s also their first for Mute, who’ve cornered the market on German mergers of avant-rock and electronica by also signing TRR sister acts Kreidler, Tarwater and Schneider TM.

To Rococo Rot’s work may be the most serene of that bunch, with a balance of organic and electronic textures via their mix of guitar, bass, synthesizers, samplers and turntablist/remixologist effects. Also attractive is the conciseness of their songs – the cutely melodic “Cars” (imagine the short version of Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” rendered on guitars, vibes and kazoos), rippling “Telema” and angelic “Das Balu Und Der Morgen” are models of musical efficiency. Nothing amateurish about it, really.

Review courtesy of Space Age Bachelor Magazine

Tags: review