Mr. Machine by The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble
LABEL: !K7 Records
At the precise point where the experimental, the avant-garde, and the just plain strange in the musical world swing back full circle and converge into pop and accessible form is where we would find the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble on their new full-length, Mr. Machine. The German trio (this time augmented by seven orchestral musicians) has crafted a master stroke of composition, original interpretations, and when it comes right down to it, simply infectious music with their new album.
The sound of Mr. Machine is delightfully slippery to classify. It has been described as ’acoustic electronic’, which hits as near the mark as saying that the pigeon that just crapped on my bike is related to a velociraptor. Certainly the electronica dominance of rhythm is ever present within every instrument, and the pulsing synth-bass never lets you for a moment think that you’ve slipped entirely into a Dave Brubeck and Arvo Part swap meet.
But there’s a lot more going on, here. While the instrumentation is orchestral, the end result is something more akin to Oingo Boingo (with less bombastry), Floex, and a little bit of George Antheil’s Ballet Mécanique. It’s precise, meticulous and restrained, but, paradoxically, in a whimsical way that creates a cinematic feel to the entire work.
To further confound things, The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble have sprinkled a healthy dose of vocals throughout the album, creating a dynamic lift from the instrumentals. The most powerful of these is “Pretend,” a collaboration with Emika, that creates a rich and genuinely haunting pop song.
The true artistry of Mr. Machine is that it has all the right elements for an indigestible avant-garde record, and ends up cunningly thwarting the obvious to create music that would satisfy any palette at any place on the spectrum. As clinical as The Ensemble’s approach may feel at times, they never lose sight of the ultimate goal of their art, and that is to connect to the listener where it matters: the heart. 
REVIEWED BY NEIL LEVENS
NEIL’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “Bop” • “Pretend” • “Teufelsleiter”
FREE MP3: “Pretend”
