CURIOSUM

A good album with one of their best tracks ("Oh, Odessa"), and several other good tracks marred by a curious (no pun intended) choice of post-recording mixing. Here's the problem: the only track that's stereophonic is the aforementioned "Oh, Odessa"; all the other tracks are, for all intents and purposes, monophonic. For this type of music, that is simply unacceptable. Cluster has come up with some of their strangest, most evocative music yet, but they don't take advantage of the "stereo field" at all. I guess this falls under the "flawed masterpiece" category.

This album neglects the classic abstract-psych experimentations of the two first albums to catch the essence of silent, synthesised pop sounds and sonic meditation. The result is rather strange, enigmatic and static. It's less organic and much more mechanical and minimalist. "Oh Odessa" is closed to Kratwerk's robotic electro pop sophistication...featuring computer like melodies, very repetitive with a certain dose of derision. Senseless for fans of Cluster's original sound. "Seltsam Gegend" is really bizarre composition, infiltrating acid psych electronic "patterns" with a distinctive poppy vibe, dissonant combinations...hard to digest! "Helle Melange" is without any doubts the best track here, sumptuous «melancholic», «grave» looped and repeated melodies, atmospheric dreamscape closed to the best of "Sowiesoso" (1976). Not their best, but illuminate, acessible with ephemeral melodies.

"Curiosum'' opens with my all time favourite Cluster tune. 'Oh, Odessa'. It has a splodgy fat bass line with sprinklings of electronic tweakery. A menacing little tune that always makes me smile. Such a pity then that it's over in just three minutes.

Setting aside the great introduction 'Cluster' sound so lacklustre at this late period in their discography. Almost as though they've been anesthetized for the rest of the album. It's like listening to Zombie's attempting to replicate Mozart. Slow, plodding yet somewhat chilling if played at high volume 'Curiosum' was the right time for the duo to have a lengthy hiatus.

Melodies come and go like like petals in the wind. Unstable throbbing wobbly sounds bleep and burp. It's a lot better than their previous recording 'Grosses Wasser' as it has far more diversity in sound. Bendy, broken, discordant keyboards is the one thing I'll always remember from this.

The album gets odder the the longer it goes on. At times it almost feels like you're drowning, listening to lullabies sung by dolphins as they swoop up to your face to see if you're alright.

I don't think any of this recording was scored. It sounds like an improvisation. It's too erratic, with too little cohesion and only the unsettling vibe on certain tunes gets this a positive score.