Math and Emotion (Tuning in again… Part 21)

Manchmal geschieht es, dass ich eine Band oder Musikrichtung neu entdecke, die wie ein Blitz einschlagen. So erging es mir vor einigen Wochen mit Klangstabil, denen ich zum ersten Mal auf dem Maschinenfest in Krefeld Anfang Oktober begegnet bin. Sie waren so wohltuend anders als die restlichen Noise/Industrial-Acts, von deren Geräuschdarbietungen ich teilweise fast Zahnschmerzen bekam. Ganz anders dann Klangstabil, deren Stücke sich durch zurückgenommene, ruhige Vokaleinlagen genauso wie Synthpop-Anleihen auszeichneten. Wie sich herausstellte, war das, was mir so gut gefallen hatte, dem aktuellen Album der beiden, “Math & Emotion”, entnommen; ein Album, in das ich mich sofort beim ersten Hören verliebt habe (eine schöne Besprechung des Albums gibt es beim  Medienkonverter). Meine Favoriten hier sind “Lauf, lauf!” sowie das erste Stück des Albums, “Math & Emotion - The Square Root Of One” (Youtube).

…und der Text zum Videoclip:

math & emotion - the square root of one

run the math, clarify the misery

show me the master - in math and emotion
how to subtract - love from distortion?
how to add - death and peace
if you find the formula - i’ll get release

 did you know - the common denominator?
is the creature - greater than the creator?
we created numbers - to seize soldiers and land
but you can’t say in numbers - the loss of a friend

 is there a structure - all depends on?
what is the reason, - the total, the sum?
is there a teacher? - cos maybe i’m wrong?
can’t be all - the square root of one?

 math and emotion
love and distortion
death and peace
i want release

 math and emotion
love and distortion
death and peace
i plead for release

 soldiers and land
the loss of a friend
the total, the sum
maybe i’m wrong?

 creature or creator?
the common denominator
it seems all depends on
the square root of one

 is there a master key, a unicode,
a melody in a perfect mode?
to clarify this misery
insanity and overload

if you’re the master - in math and emotion
would you subtract - love from distortion?
would you please - add death and peace?
run the math - and i’ll get release

 free us from numbers - the knowledge we praise
we cannot control - the spirits we raise
all that remains - is torture and pain
we erase ourselves - in a zero-sum game

(Quelle: www.klangstabil.com)

 

What the Klangstabil artists say about their new album:

“the idea of producing a concept album about chess arose in the summer of 2005 when boris may started cultivating an interest in the game to find a way to overcome his growing mental laziness. maurizio lanco also liked the idea of turning chess into a musical concept. chessboards and relevant literature were aquired so as to get into to the spirit of the game. originally, the title of this album was planned to be”mindchess”. later on, it was transformed into ‘math & emotion’ because this title reflects the way klangstabil learned how to play the game. “the concept ‘math & emotion’ became wider and overstepped the limits of a mere game of chess. it was projected on interhuman behavioral patterns in the everyday game of life.” (boris may)

…

the music on this album seems easily accessible, resuming the path klangstabil has been on for years. the first impression to the expectant listener might be undiluted dark electro-based pop, but this isn’t an inaccurate evaluation, as they call it ‘klangpop’. massive synth surfaces, pulsing sequencer patterns and intense vocals intertwined with precise computerized drum beats add up to memorable tunes. on closer examination oblique details become visible: elaborated rhythmical work, hidden sound fragments and the specific tension klangstabil are well-known for - all aided by significant lyrics in german, english and italian. the more you engage in ‘math & emotion’ the more the deepness of this release will develop - just like the seemingly simple game of chess and the game of life.”

(Source: Klangstabil@livejournal - newsletter of Sep. 14th, 2008; follow the link below ‘Detail and release information (.pdf)’ )

More tracks to listen to - their MySpace