Artist: Escape With Romeo
Title: Samsara
Genre: Electro Rock
Release Date: 16th March 2012
Label: Zeitklang Records
Album Review
Thomas Elbern founded ESCAPE WITH ROMEO in 1989. With the newest one, ‘Samsara’, there is ten albums and a retrospective “History” with the singles and even a DVD for the keen listener to delve into. Theirs is a mixture of Indie Rock, Dark Wave, Shoegaze, Electro and Pop. The new album is introduced by a cover of a child looking on at a wreckage of a city, burning skyscrapers and cars, helicopter suggestive of emergency above it, and a plane leaving in a cross direction from the helicopter, all set against the backdrop of a burn out desultory, destroyed landscape - or actually lack of it. The child appears to be throwing crumbs, maybe in fashion of Hansel and Gretel so not to get lost in this apocalyptic mayhem, or maybe they are seed for the new world which might be accompanied by the glimpse of small amount of clinging-to-life plants near the child, both maybe representing a hope against all odds.
Regardless, I am describing the album cover as it fits the album in so many ways and hints at its themes. The title, ‘Samsara’ you’ll recognise from your Eastern religion studies, the circle of life, death and reincarnation though this probably fits it the most “continuous stream of consciousness, or the continuous but random drift of passions, desires, emotions, and experiences.” Or maybe not so random as the songs are concerned with the commentary on the travails/problems of modern life. Songs here are both in German and English, which in my books is always great - whilst it at once acknowledges the band’s own roots where the music offers the universality of music to bridge and transcend borders and differences it also gives the non-German speaker a possibility to understand by the English counterparts. The songs are given quite intelligently and enjoyably over to the listener who can not only have a moment to think and reflect but to also take pleasure from this thoroughly.
Many of the songs convey a special nearly a poetic atmosphere usually with minimalistic mastery, take ‘Enter Samsara’, the unobtrusively expressive vocal, softness in guitars and drums somehow evoking morning, certain weariness and sadness, a road-like traveller feel of a song, the chorus gets under your skin as if a memory. Beautiful and even cinematic album which has a lot going for it and you really shouldn’t miss out on it. ESCAPE WITH ROMEO!
Tracklist
Everyone against everyone
Simulationen [Simulations]
Sie liebt dich (nicht) [She loves you (not)]
Ground Control
Tears Of Kali
No place to go now
Spring auf den Zug [Jump on a train]
Freier Fall [Free Fall]
Enter Samsara
Wrong Laila
Stadt ohne Namen [Town with no name]
Vom heiligen Krieg [From the holy war]
Line-up
Thomas Elbern – Vocals, Guitar
Martin Pott – Keys, Acoustic Guitar
Frenzy – Drums
Websites
http://www.escape-with-romeo.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/escapewithromeo
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
Buy the album here!
Comments powered by CComment