Spells and Daubs

Kreidlers 12th (or so) studio album is their most concise, focused effort in decades, if not their entire career. Handing off mixing duties to veteran British producer Peter Walsh, whos worked with everyone from Heaven 17 and Simple Minds to Scott Walker and Peter Gabriel, the Dusseldorf-based group sound open and spacious yet direct, curtailing some of their more meandering tendencies and homing in on lush rhythms. Opener "Tantrum" has a playfully skipping groove splashed with steel pan, an instrument that returns near the end of the album. Dub influences appear throughout the record, but in different forms, so that each track barely resembles one another. "Dirty Laundry" is closer to icy, dub-kissed minimal techno, with a breakdown in which sinister footsteps appear. An angular pizzicato sequence begins "Revery," which otherwise has a chilled-out, loungey rhythm nestled with airy fretless bass. "Unframed Drawings" has the albums coolest, most comforting bassline, while the starry synths express a faint feeling of unease and trepidation. The very Laswellian "Arise Above" is a remarkable combination of dub, funk, and space, with a meaty yet detached bassline at the center of resounding piano chords and glimmering synths that sound like UFOs taking off in the distance. "Greetings from Dave" is a bittersweet crawl enhanced by steel drums and a wash of strings near the end. Not every track is memorable, with a few providing atmosphere and not much else, but the most successful moments definitely make Spells and Daubs seem like a step forward for the group. ~ Paul Simpson