For just under
two years, Piet Blank, Jaspa Jones and Andy Kaufhold
worked on "Monument". And monumental
is not merely a status the team is playing at,
but also the soundscapes they use on the album
to bring listeners under their spell. Up to now
Blank & Jones have never in such a masterly
fashion brought their potential for shaping sound
so much to bear as on "Monument", and
rarely was their songwriting so homogeneous and
perfectly conceived as on this, their sixth album.
After a phenomenal intro, as much the hallmark
of a Blank & Jones album as the manifold atmospheres
they create, "Monument" goes its own
unstoppable way, revealing from start to finish
a seamless kaleidoscope of sounds and electronic
grooves. Refined beats and compelling electronic
sounds take over the scenery while sparely employed
guitar riffs and pointedly placed vocals underscore
the dense atmosphere of the tracks which all lead
into acoustically infinite worlds. Tight songwriting
combined with sound collages that expand your
listening habits, leading to 12 hypnotizing tracks
that are compelling from the first moment down
to the very last tones. On "Monument"
Blank & Jones have made yet another giant
step, showing themselves to be the most harmonious
songwriters on the contemporary electronic scene
- artists who simply don't stand still and whose
clearly defined ambitions aim only at further
developments.
Among one of the highlights of the album is definitely
"A Forest", with Robert Smith. It's
a track that because of its resounding success
cannot be gotten around.
On the first single from "Monument",
"Mind Of The Wonderful" you can hear
the wonderful voice of female singer Elles de
Graaf, who was already so fascinating with Blank
& Jones on "Relax".
"Monument" is being released in two
versions. One as standard CD and another as limited
edition with a bonus CD, - lavishly packed. The
CD artwork contains prints of two exclusive portraits
of Piet Blank and Jaspa Jones accomplished by
the well-known artist and Joseph Beuys student,
Emil Schult, also a co-author of Kraftwerk. The
portraits were done after hearing all the tracks
from the album. And because of his musical past
with Kraftwerk his enthusiasm was all the more
meaningful and for that the portraits should be
a special treat for the aesthetes among his fans. |