Alles In Allem

Einstürzende Neubauten albums feel far more sculptural, now, than they did in the eighties, and while the group were always quite conscious of structure, on Alles In Allem, everything seems carefully, cautiously placed. This works to the advantage of these ten songs. Reflecting on their home city of Berlin, it’s also a coherent, smart way to celebrate their fortieth anniversary; the histories (city and group) are intimately intertwined. While there’s some self-referentiality here, Neubauten are also alive to the need to keep the field open, to still clear new paths. On “Ten Grand Goldie,” they call on their subscribers to contribute lyrics, which Bargeld assembles into a surrealist stream of words; “Zivilatorisches Missgeschick” (“Civilisation Mishap”) is crafted smartly from Neubauten’s arsenal of sound and object. Throughout, you can hear the group trying to coax new meanings and contexts from the tools at their disposal, with subtle political undercurrent – on “Taschen,” the scuffle and rustle of plastic bags is built from the same bags given to refugees for their belongings. Unlocking potential, Alles In Allem’s ten songs are rich with allusion.