Seasons change, polar ice caps erode, and Bohren & Der Club of Gore trudge deeper into the gloom. During the last 20 years, the German ensemble has established a deep catalog of nocturnal kunstwerken, translating lessons of sonic terror and deliberation learned from stints in grindcore and death metal bands into whispered sessions of ambient/doom/jazz from Angelo Badalamente’s annotated copy of the Real Book. Subtle variations to Bohren’s sonic palette between albums manifest as seismic shifts in the trajectory of their tectonic crawl: the rounded bass tone and clean piano of Sunset Mission (2000); the moribund minimalism and Fender Rhodes explorations of über-classic Black Earth (2004); the deeper focus on vibraphone and synth on Dolores (2008); Mike Patton’s death-opera vocal contributions to Beileid (2011). With the exception of this last anomaly, Bohren & Der Club of Gore’s forthcoming album Piano Nights unifies atmospheres and sound sources from every era of their output into a densely arranged song cycle — though “dense,” for Bohren, still translates to “practically silent” by conventional standards.
The video for album highlight “Ganz Leise Kommt Die Nacht” seemed familiar to me on my first viewing, because a black-and-white montage of falling snow, Lynchian noir protagonists, and psychedelic burning eyeball hands automatically plays in my head every time I hear this band. Turn off the overhead fluorescents, light a candle or eight, and press the play button. When the full moon rises over the piano, don’t get sucked into the flames.
Piano Nights is available now on LP and CD from the band’s site, and probably soon from your favorite distro.
• Bohren & Der Club of Gore: http://www.bohrenundderclubofgore.de
• PIAS Recordings: http://www.piasrecordings.com