Customer Reviews

Faking the Books

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Probably, if I was to choose one country that has consistently given us people and bands that explored how Electronica could find fruitful bridges to Rock and Pop, I'd have to choose Germany. Whether you think of Tangerine Dream, Rodelius, Neu or Kraftwerk -to name a very few- Germans have led the way.
Now, or at least in recent years, it's the turn of Lali Puna, a band that is beginning to gain the recognition they deserve, although they remain the delight of select groups -and it's Thom Yorke's favorite German band, assuming such tidbit increases their appeal for you.
This is their third album, after the wonderful "Scary World Theory," and it's probably as satisfying a musical experience as its predecessor, perhaps fiercer, louder, and further defining their singular musical identity.
This is Electronica and Pop in a seamless dialogue, reaching some dark places which normally may not be associated with either musical form.
This is part of the soundtrack of the world post 9/11: somber and hopeful, reaching for firm ground in an unsteady ship. "Faking The Books" or "Call 1-800-fear" are particular examples of this.
And then, there's Valerie Trebeljahr's voice that crystallizes the band's mood, at once tender and fragile, guiding these songs without imposing herself yet making them special and more meaningful.
If you are interested in the new edges of popular music, the kind that attempts to move you without compromising its own vision, "Faking The Books" deserves your attention.

It has taken me at least 6 or 7 times listening to this album to really start to like it. If you are familiar with lali puna, you will probably be patient and give it a chance like I did. If this is your first time ever hearing this amazing group, check out the first two albums first. They are a lot more palatable and less experimental.

Trirecorder is, in my humble opinion, one of the top 5 downtempo electronica albums of all time. other bands rarely serve up an entire album worth of great tracks, free from pop-references or tongue-in-cheek wit.

other downtempo groups that are great, such as ISAN and the notwist, are often too inhuman and devoid of any standard song structure to have wide appeal(with the strong exception being notwist's "pick up the phone" claymation video, one of the groups' best). Lali Puna's first two albums consist of electronica "songs" that should be appealing to anyone seeking beautiful melodies and thoughtful lyrics. (i also recommend dot allison's first album, and everything by the kings of convenience. a rare but interesting cd is the debut by canadian group "park avenue music" if you find it)

Another great thing about lali puna's first two albums are the vocals, and how they blend effortlessly with the melodies. While this third album is outstanding, the vocals on some tracks are more of an instrumental quality, with only three or four words repeated over and over again. I feel like such verbal repetition should be left to dance floor tracks. I want a little more from downtempo than catchphrases.

There are some exceptions on "faking the books." Track one (title track) is absolutely brilliant, very similar to the first two albums. Just enough substance in the lyrics to create a mental picture where you can loose yourself among the hypnotic melodies.

if you listen to this album for the seamless blending of disparate musical genres into downtempo musings on the social environment, then this album gets 5 stars. if you want to hear ethereal female vocals layered over peppy yet dreamy synthetic landscapes, this album gets 5 stars. however, if you are comparing this third album to the first two lali puna albums, where the group not only creates an electronic masterpiece of emotive power, not only has great female vocals, but also makes you think about the world with interesting lyrics, then this third album falls short of the first 2. therfore, i only give it 4 stars.

You know you've found something great when the repetition of the same lyric over and over again gets you gradually more choked up as the song builds towards it's conclusion. There's something simple and understated about this music. It doesn't jump out and try to get your attention, it seeps in under your skin and lodges in your head.

Lali puna seeems to be taking equal cues from the worlds of trip-hop, downtempo electronic, IDM, and the My Bloody Valentine school of rock to create something altogether unique and emotionally powerful.

These songs could be seen as bittersweet anthems to lonliness and perserverance, and there's a hidden beauty to practically every track. It's a deceptively optimistic record, and it manages to find a light and delicate side to whatever "genre" it is taking on. After a few listens, it becomes almost impossible to go without this album. It is adventurous albums like this one that defy simple genre classification and pave the way for the endless possibilities of future music to come.

If you're already a fan, I'd recommend picking up the remix/b-side double-disc "I Thought I Was Over That," which features some really great songs that didn't make the cut, as well as some amazing remixes which manage to work within the strangely atmospheric mood that Lali Puna has created. In particular, the Boom Bip mix is very good.

On a similar musical note, I would recommend The Notwist's "Neon Golden" album, which is also indespensible. You might also like M83's "Red Seas, Dead Cities, and Lost Ghosts," or the Themselves/Notwist collaboration under the name 13 & God. There's a similar (if poppier and more electronic) drive running through the sadly overlooked Duo 505 album "Late" as well, and it deserves to be given a listen.

It is music like this that is restoring my faith in things to come.

I can't believe how incredibly good this is. I can't even tell you how much i adore this music. A perfect blend of organic warmth and electronic precision and oh so very pleasant to listen to.

Lali Puna's love of beauty doesn't grow any weaker with FAKING THE BOOKS -- if anything, they've grown more into the pop rock suggested by earlier albums. The title track merges gentle guitar with Valerie Trebeljahr's plain and processed vocals, while "Call 1-800-Fear" and "Micronomic" have more of a straightforward, but dense rock sound. This album tends more towards upbeat than their other work as well, even if "People I Know" hints at Broadcast-like moodiness. For variation, "Geography-5" goes much more stripped down, and the closing track, "Crawling By Numbers" continues this. But perhaps the best merger of electronica and rock on the album is "Left Handed," which seems to best encapsulate Lali Puna's unique vision of pop.

Lali has some amazing talent, I bought this cd years ago and I still enjoy listening to it. I love having it on in the background if I have people over and we're just relaxing and drinking, the cd for the most part is very mellow. I love mellow music to wind down to. Great, great, songs.

3 1/2

With more streamlined, if still utterly listenable production, some of this refined electronic act's taut, melodically minimalistic burst-o'-beats feel a little less urgent then before, however a more positive approach helps compliment these still-impressive sound collages.

Faking The Books is easily one of the best albums I've heard in my life. Two songs nearly brought me to tears: Faking The Books and Left Handed. The lyrics on this album are simple but exceedingly powerful, insightful, and touching. The composition and production are some of the best I've heard. This is quality music.

This album starts strongly with slow, melodic songs that remind me of the Notwist except with female vocals, but as the album nears the end, the songs drift styles to a more standard pop format, and my interest wanes. Overall, I'm still happy with my purchase.

I've never heard of Lali Puna until a friend made a compiliation CD for me and put their fantastic track B-Movie on it. Just by the strength of that track alone I went out and purchased Faking The Books. I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered. A wonderful mixture of lo-fi electronics, live instruments and lush hynoptic female vocals. Faking The Books is a brilliantly consistent and addictive listening experience. So much so that days later I purchased Scary World Theory (however I haven't fully listened to that one yet because I'm still so into Faking the Books).
Although B-Movie is still a favorite I really dig Micronomics because I love the opening guitar riff. Call 1-800 Fear is pretty much my ultimate fave off the disc because I love the second half where it's nothing but electronic clicks and beats as the words "Someone is taking over," swirls through the mix. Brilliant track with a subtle yet powerful political message behind it.
I am an newly recruited fan! I can't wait to purchase Tridecoder, the remix CD and hopefully have an oppurtnity to see these guys live.