Rettet Die Wale gets off to a great start. The first thing you hear is a slightly distorted tone, slowly rising to prominence with the help of some synthesized keys. It's nothing overly original, but suddenly two woodwind lines emerge, expertly juxtaposing the organic and electronic elements. Their harmonizing creates an undeniable hook, peaking your interest immediately. Of course, this is all within the first two minutes of the album. By the time you get to the second track, "We Shall Overcome," the fun is just about over. Gustav's heavily accented vocals are introduced with the clearly portentous lines: "Dear fellow citizens/Dear fellow occupants/Dear sisters in brave/And dear comrades in arms/We might overcome!" The rest of Rettet Die Wale carries on in a similar revolutionary tone. But I'm not buying it. Not completely, at least.
Hailing from Vienna, Gustav is undoubtedly speaking to the world's corporate monopolies, taking time in between her calls to arm to touch on crushed dreams, unjust acts, and other generic bright eyed topics. Despite the fact that about half the songs are sung in German, the end result still reeks of lyrical inhibition. Such a balls out approach works occasionally, but the awkward story telling in a song like "One Hand Mona" is too preachy, and ultimately drags the album down. Adversely, Gustav's best moments come in the longer stretches of electronic vamping. This is a predominantly electronic outing after all, and it seems that when left to their own, the cut up strings and metallic glitches keep Rettet Die Wale afloat.
The album's disparate elements only converge in the last two tracks, which finally manage to create something greater than the sum of their parts. "Da, Am ManopOl" is refreshingly upbeat with a classic disco inflected bass line pounding behind Gustav's bratty wail. The lyrics are in German too, eliminating 90% of the annoying factor that plagues the English fronted cuts. After three and a half minutes of pulsating glee, an abrupt shift in mood leads to the albums finale: a jazz ballad, full of vintage strings and smooth guitar tones. Bjork comparison will no doubt be raised at this point, yet Gustav seems more relaxed and at home in the lightweight setting. It's just a shame that it took the course of an entire album to find her steady ground.
1. Intro
2. We Shall Overcome
3. Little Weird Grrrl
4. Linzserenade
5. Genua
6. One Hand Mona
7. Mein Bruder
8. Da, Am MonopOl
9. Rettet Die Wale
More about: Gustav
