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PRICE: $15.50
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Spirituals
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
KK 068CDKK 068CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
7/3/2012


This is the fourth full-length release by Guido Möbius. On previous releases, Guido Möbius has mostly given lyrics a wide berth. On Spirituals, he now goes the other way and allows himself to indulge in meaning and pathos. Spirituals unites crooked humor and dark premonition, apotheosis and kitsch. With each track, Möbius highlights another aspect of spirituality, be it religious or another kind. Indeed, maybe one does come close to a feeling of transcendence through hypnotic rhythms. Maybe one can even achieve purification through noise or just take solace in singing spiritual songs. Möbius plays with the neo-pagan spirituality of black metal as well as with the egocentric rallying calls of soul music. He evokes the spirits of the end of days and harnesses the touching confidence of an amateur choir. His pleasure in the unexpected is ever-present in his music, as is his preference for unusual sounds. Six of the nine tracks on Spirituals use the texts from traditional gospels. Without knowing the originals, Guido Möbius gave these lyrics new melodies and used them for his own purposes. Following two albums of predominantly chamber music, this time, he uses the instrumentation of modern dance music for this release; however, he still can't be pigeonholed. On "Godhead Appears," he combines fevered percussion with Kiki Bohemia's elegant singing and Andi Otto's cello playing. On "Babylon's Falling" we hear layers, stacked like geological sediment and streaked through with a restless pulse. The rhythmic saws and squeaking sound on "All Evil Ways" combine with a morbid groove. Then there's "Judgment," with its dry funkiness and "Blessed Sleep," with cutting guitar layers and noises of all kinds. The echo effect on "The Reign Of Sin" lets loose whispers from ghostly voices, while most of the sounds on "All Around Me" come from the automatic tuner on an everyday portable radio. This album has a light and a dark side -- one dedicated to redemption, whereas the B-side is more dedicated to damnation.