To Rococo Rot

At first listen, this is an odd one to place. It is best described as 12 selections of pure aural decoupage, if you will. The combined electronic sounds are varied (ranging from blips and bleeps to rhythm loops) and there are no lyrics to provide verbal labels or meaning to these sounds. Although the disc sounds, at times, like a lesson in postmodern classical (is that an oxymoron?), I found the songs became too repetitive. When I read the CD liner notes, the fog cleared a little, letting the nature of the music (and vision of the artists) become clearer. This German trio has attempted to musically represent the building Kolner Brett, reflecting "the architectural grid (equally sized modules giving structure and shape to the building as a whole) as well as the possible individual living and working conditions of the dweller, respectively." After listening to this disc again with this newfound knowledge, the music really does paint this mental image. The CD makes for fantastic background music, but tunes to rock out by, to soothe a broken heart, or to get drunk to these aren't. Listen with patience to what may be the sound of the future.