Instrument

Description

To Rococo Rot have carved an identifiable niche for themselves, and one which has crossed a variety of styles; neither wholly in the realms of ambient or pure electronics. The late 1990s albums of Veiculo and The Amateur View brought their fundamental and innovative landscapes of sound to the fore, whilst 2001s collaboration with I-Sound, Music is a Hungry Ghost, showed their ability to blend disparate influences into something wonderfully cohesive. Remixed by Four Tet and Daniel Miller and heralded by the likes of Modeselektor, their influence extends as far as their unique approach deserves.

Returning to City Slang in 2014 for their first full-length since 2010s Speculation (released on Domino) and their eighth album in total, Instrument is a landmark record for the electronic trio from Berlin. The serenely soft melodies of No Wave pioneer Arto Lindsay adorn three tracks (Many Descriptions, Classify and The Longest Escalator in the World), offering up a new perspective. As much a progression as a refresher course for older material, it is arguably their most refined record so far.

Lindsays laid-back and unhurried words lend themselves perfectly to the aesthetic of To Rococo Rot whilst pulling them through to an unfamiliar and occasionally pop-based space. Though melodies have always been a big part of their sound, the inclusion of a human voice is a distinctive modification. It sits perfectly within the warm timbres created by Lippok, Lippok and Schneider.

Brothers Lippok, on synths and guitars bolstered by admirable bass courtesy of Stefan Schneider are elevated on their eight album by the collaborative vocals of Arto Lindsay, of pioneering new-wave band DNA. He faultlessly fits in, sharing the same dissonant intelligence and atonal artistry. CLASH