"Laube are back and not interested in playing around. None of the tone has been left to chance. The raw material has been mastered by James Plotkin, the sound testifies that it's been worth waiting for three years.
“Schwach Gekerbt” is the logical progression to its predecessor “Ausmerzen” in regard to Laube's notion of Adagio. Again self-recorded in their rehearsal room with Resl von Konnersreuth as their patron saint, the exercise of this material yields sonic oneness in its discrete and continuous moments. It’s a machine, like the artwork suggests. A well oiled, organic one. And if oil is its outcome, you get the many facets lying in here. Laube used severe sounds for that, like those of broken cymbals, a '73 Fender Rhodes Mark 1 piano, a Fender Studio Bass tube amp, Korg MS 20's filters and assembled field recordings, samples, bowed single-string-drones and tape loops. On the track “classic cream” you even get to hear an adapted tape of the german poprock group PUR. "pewter grey metallic“ has been recorded in a church, solely played in the rain on a pipe organ.
There are details to discover, like the unusually interacting bass and Rhodes lines, sometimes entwining, than punctual arhythmic, dissonant, dissolving in subtle harmonies - all too slow over cutting drums. Just a few aspects could have been scraped out in these lines and writing about music is always unsatisfying. So after listening again to this record after quite some time, I am left speechless, finding myself thrown back into that reality the record began with: having a cup of tea or coffee, still some oil on the table. Faintly crenated- that's the translation of the german title, is actually an understatement, this album is leaving some marks."
Limited cassette version available on Sonic Meditations!
sonicmeditations.bandcamp.com/album/schwach-gekerbt
released December 2, 2013
Eric Bauer [rhodes piano, electronics]
Christian Dräger [drums, percussion]
Nils Lehnhäuser [bass, electronics]
Mastered by James Plotkin.