Gustav - Verlass Die Stadt

Verlass Die Stadt is a curious patchwork of an album. Some songs are sung in English, others in German. Total Quality features plucked violas, orchestral violins, and forays into glitchy electronic degeneration. The opening track could be described as a happy, bouncy, electronic, nursery rhyme. It also happens to be quite annoying. Alles Rencht Sich Wieder Ein sounds strangely like a national anthem, whilst Ifall is potentially the most listenable, full of deep, dark samples. A wavering operatic voice struggles with the rhythmic drone of a piano, moving into emphatic strings, before contorting into a thumping electro bass. The track continually builds but fails to go anywhere. Although chaotic and varied, the music of Verlass Die Stradt is boosted with live instrumentation and twisted electronic manipulation. Ultimately the intriguing sounds fail to make up for lacklustre songwriting. [Josh Coppersmith-Heaven]