Rare Frequency › Thomas Brinkmann Lucky Hands (Max Ernst) CD

Thomas Brinkmann
Lucky Hands (Max Ernst) CD

As some of you may have noticed, I don’t generally write negative reviews here on rarefrequency.com, tending to highlight releases that I like, rather than spilling vats of virtual ink on those that I don’t. But I can’t be all sweetness and light, so here’s an exception to the rule. I’ve long been a fan of Cologne techno’s resident boundary-breaker, Thomas Brinkmann. Brinkmann has been one of abstract techno’s most interesting producers, whether he’s making ultra-spare conceptual pieces or full-on, funk-laden, booty-shaking dance tracks as Soul Center. With Lucky Hands Brinkmann explores relatively new musical territory, trying his hand at the pop song (even singing one himself, deadpan-style, for good measure), as well as treading more familiar paths with his trademark cantering techno instrumentals. The problem is that the songs, such as the droll, half-sung/half-spoken cover of Morrissey’s “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get,” featuring singer Tusia Beridze (aka TBA), land with a dull, electro-pop thud. The instrumental tracks alone, even at their best, are not strong enough to sustain the record, especially when the whole affair is capped off with a rather silly and seemingly interminable (in reality, a mere 2’58”) Brinkmann-Django Reinhardt mash-up. File under “disappointment.”