ZUCKERZEIT

After two acclaimed cosmic electronic albums, Cluster made a complete left turn towards more concrete and shorter proto synth-pop, much like the direction Kraftwerk would take in the next couple of years. Apart from the bubbling dark space electronic of "Rote Riki", you will only find short minimalist experiments, with gentle melodic themes and soft rhythm box beats. No, this doesn't sound like anything from 1974.

The album is entirely instrumental and while all pieces are pleasant and fascinating, they lack that songwriting genius that Kraftwerk was blessed with, and as a result, the songs aren't always as memorable as you might wish. Still, this album is a landmark and it clearly must have caught the attention of one Brian Eno, who would collaborate on a later Cluster album and who would absorb all of their ideas in his own work and collaborations. The Bowie Berlin period would have sounded entirely different without this band.

Historic relevance aside, I find this album very enjoyable and captivating. The fact that it reminds me of the synth and rhythm box experiments of the early post-punk bands is a plus for me. 3.5 stars for sure.