Blacken The Black: Entrance To The Exit

blacken the black Blacken The Black: Entrance To The Exit - Echokammer/Hausmusik :: Dark electronic pop from Berlin. The sound is part goth and part German electronic with a lot of sampling and a bit of experimentation with world instruments. While the recording is very clear, and Annika's voice is beautiful and fitting to the music, the album seems to be mixed in such a way which force to vocals to sit a little too high above the music, so as not to mesh perfectly with it. The mixing also makes the electronic elements feel very sterile and often a bit corny despite the variety of instrumentation surrounding it. This may be me, as I notice this in a lot of contemporary German music. The lyrics are in English and a bit lack-luster (like the fairly cheesy "Entrance to the Exit" title), but if they were in German and the sound was a bit more raw and natural feeling, this would be an album to reckon with. The reasons for non-English bands to sing in English are varied and I may not be able to accurately judge Blacken the Black's, but if this were in Deutsch it would be much more unique and appealing. Instead, the English sounds forced. Still, this is an enjoyable listen, especially the opening track "Murder."