3.0 out of 5 stars
Justus Köhncke - Doppelleben, October 20, 2011
This review is from: Doppelleben (Audio CD)
Synth-pop. Some people love it, some people hate it. I'm pretty neutral about it, so Justus Köhncke's DOPPELLEBEN actually sounds fine to me. Opening with the beatless "Elan (Dub)," the album doesn't show its pop hand until "Schwabylon," which has more of a lounge feel than anything. The start-stop samples and mellow folk guitar of "Wo Bist Du?" back up Köhncke's slight, wavering voice as it builds to a symphonic chorus. "Loreley" has an almost ethnic rhythm and a mournful cello, and the deep and ambient "Mu Arae" has a satetly grace. There's something pleasingly cheesy about "Weiche Zäune" -- it has the feel of a lo-fi home recording -- and that lends it a certain charm (the same goes for the more minimal "The Answer is Yes"). The solid techno of "Elan" or the digital funk of "Timecode" almost feels out of place amongst the pop, but it shows off Köhncke's talent at songcraft. But the best tracks on here have a certain romanticism to them: "Herz Aus Papier" is simple but has little hints of longing in the vocals, while "Alles Nochmal" has a simplicity that underlines the emotions underneath.
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