Curiosum

by Cluster

Overview

Cluster's tenth album, not counting their collaborations with Brian Eno or Neu's Michael Rother, finds the duo of Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius in a somewhat peculiar place. Their landmark early electronic work was hugely influential on the English post-punk synthesizer bands of the late '70s. Curiosum, released in 1981, just as some of these bands were moving from arty cult status to mainstream stardom, sounds like Moebius and Roedelius had started taking cues from the groups they'd initially inspired. Gone are the side-long experiments of early Cluster albums like Zwei Osteri. In their place, Moebius and Roedelius craft seven surprisingly short discrete instrumental pieces; four are under five minutes, and none reach the ten-minute mark. Since it's impossible to work up a good hypnotic drone in so little time, the songs on Curiosum are more melodic than most of the duo's earlier work. The lilting, almost playful "Oh Odessa" sounds like it could have been on an early Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album. Other tracks, particularly the fascinating "Charlic," which is based on a wheezy, wobbly rhythm track that sounds not unlike either certain types of Moroccan bagpipes or the bleating of an asthmatic goat, recall the less sonically aggressive moments of Throbbing Gristle or Cabaret Voltaire. Only the relatively lengthy pieces at the end of each side recall Cluster's trademark space rock textures, with the lulling, almost subliminally quiet "Ufer" being the most typically Cluster-like track on the whole album. Curiosum isn't a misguided bid for pop stardom, the way that late-period Amon Dueuel II or Kraftwerk records often seemed to be. In fact, with its concise and melodic instrumentals, this would probably be an excellent introduction to synthesizer-based Krautrock for pop listeners put off by the idea of 20-minute one-chord drones. However, it's an atypical work, and it's not surprising that Cluster took a decade-long sabbatical after its release. ~ Stewart Mason

Product Details

Release Date:	12/08/2009
Label:	Bureau B
UPC:	4047179374118

Tracks

1. Oh Odessa
2. Proantipro
3. Seltsame Gegend
4. Helle Melange
5. Tristan In Der Bar
6. Charlic
7. Ufer

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Cluster   Primary Artist
Hans-Joachim Roedelius   Synthesizer
Dieter Moebius   Synthesizer
Roedelius   Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Kerstin Holzwarth   Reissue Layout
Gareth Davies   Translation
Dieter Moebius   Composer,Producer
Mark Pilkington   Photography
Roedelius   Composer
Hans-Joachim Roedelius   Producer,Composer
Willem Makkee   Remastering
Moebius   Composer
Gunther Buskies   Reissue Producer
Asmus Tietchens   Liner Notes
Thomas Worthmann   Reissue Producer