Pressing the play button on today’s exclusive may require a second thought. Or just take a deep breath, to welcome the colossal wall of sound ‘Klavierbeton‘ is about to unleash in its very initial seconds (we warned you!). And then there’s a ‘shaman’ ala Killing Joke spitting words like there’s no future. Vlimmer‘s universe is not for the faint-hearted; Guts are needed to understand this wave-gaze (special gift for the genre freaks!) hymn that will unfold in 7 and a half minutes the undeniable talent of Alexander Leonard Donat, and furthermore a step forward in his artistic greatness.
If ever Killing Joke jammed with My Bloody Valentine this would be their offspring. Play it LOUD!
Vlimmer about ‘Klavierbeton’:
‘After having released twelve parts of an 18-EP series which I started with Vlimmer back in Fall 2015 I realised I’ve been through quite a musical development. I started as a lo-fi version of dark shoegaze and began to involve more electronics with every release. Also, my voice increasingly made its way through the layers of sound to the foreground. One of the things that remained a constant, though, is my interested in cranking out long distorted, dirty shoegazers which transport an apocalyptic atmosphere, background noise, even barely recognizable black metal screams in the background. “Klavierbeton” has all this, and something new, an almost euphoric moment: “Ich mache die Augen zu” (“I close my eyes”), because the rain hits as hard as crashing pianos, and it feels like a relief.’
Press Notes:
With two-thirds of his 18-EP journey released, Vlimmer’s protagonist is coming closer to receiving answers to the nagging question: Who turned me into what I am?
A lot has happened since the Berlin-based one man project started in fall 2015 with a darkgaze brew that was meant to sedate its listeners with heavily layered guitar/synth walls and a ghostly, floating voice. Then, with every new EP Donat’s voice stepped out of the haze as if it felt comfortable in the morbid limelight of contemporary life.
On “XIII”, the 13th part, Vlimmer sounds more focused, and yes, catchier than ever – you can feel it from the first seconds of the nightmarish schemes of “Gesellschaftsrücken” (back of society) which are beguiled by a clear dream pop attitude, until the closing mid-tempo anthem of “Kontakt” in which the protagonist breaks up with society, its daily routine and obvious deceit. But what comes eventually?
After traveling back in time, watching himself from the womb through the belly of a woman who answers the door of his parents’ house, the protagonist is going mad, literally losing his head which is floating skyward while his body finds its way through the crowded pavement. The opening 7-minutes of the apocalyptic shoegaze fuzz of “Klavierbeton” (piano concrete) come crashing as the title suggests, but they also come up with this one moment of relief and euphoria when – under the impression of a massive thunderstorm – it says “Ich mache die Augen zu” (I close my eyes). The rest of the 14th EP, “XIIII”, makes it easier for the listeners. It is what Vlimmer has always been about: contrasts. Au contraire to the above mentioned blackgaze, listen to the wave pop of “Bankrott”, Vlimmer’s most accessible tune since “Nebelgeist” from the “X” EP.