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Illegale Farben – Monte Fiasko
Album | 23/02/2024 | Rookie Records / Indigo / The Orchard
33:01 | 11 tracks | Vinyl/Digital
Post Punk / NDW
Cologne, Germany
Illegal shades of grey
On their fourth album, German New Wave Punk Rockers provide another sober view on the situation on their home country and the rest of the world. Spoiler alert: it is not a jolly, boppy or colourful view that we are about to experience when diving into the soundscape of Monte Fiasko. The album title refers to a mountain made from misfortune and catastrophic events. An before you gasp of relief for having reached this mountain, be aware that its top has not even been seen yet.
Melancholic but not desolate
Somewhere between Punk and Post Punk, between Shoegaze and Neue Deutsche Welle, between Indie Pop and Depro Punk, Illegale Farben invite us to their view of things as they are right now. It is a perspective coined by melancholy, anxiety, and cold. Bad omens, loneliness, isolation, doubts, or resignation are some of the main topics of Monte Fiasko. But Illegale Farben are still a Punk Rock band after all, and that is not only being revealed in the dynamic tracks Geisterbahn or Gefühle (feat. Cecila Boström). Monte Fiasko is not about giving up, but about telling that one is fed up with hopelessness.
Through the Fog
On their way across the mountain of catastrophes, Illegale Farben wander through thick fog and heavy debris. It is no easy way, but it shall be worth it. Talking about accessibility for the listeners, the album’s first third is a bit tough – even though Möwen (feat. Stefanie Schrank) is an amazing song. Over the course of the middle part, and in its final third especially, Monte Fiasko becomes more graspable.
7/10 Mangoes
Illegale Farben
Thilo Schenk
Thomas Kempkes
Chris Mock
Jens Küchenthal
Jens Weber
Guests
Torben Wesche (saxophone on 10 Sekunden and Schrecken oder Plagen)
Simon Doetsch (trumpet on Möwen and Geisterbahn, and flugelhorn on Slow Dance)
Björn Sonnenberg (Hohner Electra on Möwen)
Stefanie Schrank (vocals, omnichord and synthesizer on Möwen)
Cecilia Boström (vocals on Gefühle)
Credits
Lyrics and music by Illegale Farben
Recorded and produced at Illegale Farben Studio, Cologne
Mix and master by Illegale Farben,
except for Etwas liegt in der Luft and Amerika (mixed by Björn Sonnenberg and Luis Müller-Wallraff at Bear Cave Studio, Cologne
Promo material by courtesy of Rookie Records
We will dance again
Mia Schem
