COMPUTER WORLD [AKA: COMPUTERWELT]

Computerwelt is one of the Kraftwerk albums that I didn't really get into until recently, but now that I'm into it, it is suprisingly gloomy in sound. One thing that's always stood out to me on Kraftwerk recordings is how dead everything sounds - it's all extremely robotic besides the vocals, which are even vocoded occasionally. This effect stands out very well on this album. The robotic melodies are very short and precise, and sometimes even quite catchy. Of course the "dead" sound doesn't have to mean that the music is pessimistic. On the contrary - "Taschenrechner (Pocket Calculator)" is quite cold and dead, giving off the impression of dead and cold machinery that is also fun. Some of the material here is very pre-dance-electro, and seems very much like a predecessor to modern groups like Autechre or Aphex Twin.

I'm sure anyone looking for a good start in progressive electronic would find this enjoyable, as would many progressive rock fans looking for some generally good music.