The latest Radio Goethe podcast opens with some music that hasn’t even been released yet: 2 new tracks from Einstürzende Neubauten’s forthcoming album Alles Wieder Offen. It will be released in late October (more details in a future post) but why wait until then to start listening to it? The first half of the show is rounded out with some more experimental-electronic songs including a great remix of Faust’s “Wir Brauchen Dich #6″ from the remix album Freispiel, as well as the original version of “T-Electronique” which can be found on their Ravvivando album. (The original version of “Wir Brauchen Dich #6″ can also be found on Ravvivando.)

If you like the Faust you hear, I really recommend checking out the album he did with Dälek, an indie-hip-hop musician from New Jersey. I know what you’re thinking… I was hesitant at first, too, but Dälek is nothing at all like your typical hip-hop music, and their music combined with the incredible experimentation of Faust make for an absolutely amazing fusion of sounds that is unlike anything I have heard before or since. The album, Derbe Respect Alder, also features a modified version of the song “T-Electronique” from this podcast.

Getting back to the show, the second half is a mini-special focusing on the final album by Sonic Front which was just recently released. You can listen to the Radio Goethe podcast either by subscribing to it on iTunes or simply by streaming it from the Radio Goethe website by clicking on “Listen to the latest show” at the top of the page.

The new Radio Goethe podcast
Einstürzende Neubauten: Die Wellen
Einstürzende Neubauten: Alles Wieder Offen
Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk: Wir Brauchen Dich #6
Faust: T-Electronique
Mathias Schaffhäuser: Hey little girl
Sonic Front: White out
Sonic Front: 36 Below
Sonic Front: Forgetting is bliss
Sonic Front: Common ground
Sonic Front: Crazy
Sonic Front: Wave Goodbye

I got a package in the mail today from Kai Hornung, the singer of Sonic Front. In it was their new album Pieces. My first impression was the album cover, naturally, and I have to say it’s really awesome. Dirk Rudolph came up with the theme and layout, and the photography was done by Harald Hoffmann. The image on the cover is a special “sculpture” consiting of all kinds of old pieces of metal stuck together, hanging from the ceiling by wires. Old bicycle wheels, big springs, fans, a rusty saw, just a bunch of old junk thrown together. But it all looks really cool floating in the air. That’s not something you see every day.

I got that familiar “new CD smell” when I opened up the case to look inside. The booklet is tastefully done, in Dirk’s minimalist style. I put the CD into my player and began to listen. I know these songs were mostly written already before Christoph died, but it almost seems like they were all written about him, in his memory. I guess if you didn’t know what happened, you might not get this feeling, but I really envision that the lyrics are about him as I listen.

There are three tracks on this album that stand out above all the others for me. The first is “36 Below” which starts out with a great riff and alternates between that and the verses which are backed only by a drum beat. The second is “Underground”. This is one of the faster songs on the album, sporting contrasting high and low-tuned guitars and a bit of screaming grunt behind the vocals. And finally, I can’t forget the most memorable song on the album, “Wave Goodbye”. You can interpret this song in many ways: as a message to Christoph from the band, from the band to their fans, or from Christoph himself to everyone else. But any way you look at it, this is a very meaningful song and a fitting closer for Sonic Front’s final album.

Overall, this is a great album and is definitely worth checking out. If you want to hear a few songs, head on over to Sonic Front’s MySpace page. If you still want more, you can get the album exclusively from the band by emailing Kai at kai@sonicfront.de. It costs just 10 Euros, and I’m sure he will be glad to send the CD anywhere in the world you are located.

The latest Sonic Front email newsletter was sent out on Tuesday night and announced the official release of the final Sonic Front album, Pieces. The album features 14 songs which play for just over one hour. The musical styles range from aggressive, hard tracks to some softer, more meaningful ones. Also part of the package is a stunning 12-page booklet designed by renowned German graphic artist Dirk Rudolph.

Because the album was created in tribute to their former guitarist Christoph Renne who tragically died of cancer in 2004, the band has decided not to have the album promoted or distributed by a record label (which is why there was no official release date). The only way to get the CD is directly from the band. If you would like a copy of the CD, please send an email to Kai at kai@sonicfront.de. The cost is only $15 which also includes shipping.

I will have a full album review for you in the near future.

Pieces
01. White Out
02. He Left is Right
03. Common Ground
04. 36 Below
05. Crazy
06. Red Oil Sky
07. Great Fatigue
08. Wrong
09. Underground
10. 12-7
11. Forgetting is Bliss
12. Fortune Son
13. John Timer
14. Wave Goodbye

A few days ago, I told you about the new Sonic Front album Pieces which is being released soon. Well, I have a little bit more info now. Kai sent me the tracklisting and said the full playtime is just over 1 hour. The release date will finally be announced very soon. You can be sure to find it right here.

Pieces
01. White Out
02. He Left is Right
03. Common Ground
04. 36 Below
05. Crazy
06. Red Oil Sky
07. Great Fatigue
08. Wrong
09. Underground
10. 12-7
11. Forgetting is Bliss
12. Fortune Son
13. John Timer
14. Wave Goodbye

Sonic Front made a post on their Myspace blog a few days ago that says “great news will follow very soon” and shows a distorted version of the band’s logo. It looks like we are getting closer to the release of their new album Pieces. I have heard that they are sending out promotional copies of the album right now, too.

The band also uploaded an image on Myspace which is probably the album cover (seen here). Seeing this cover is very exciting because it was one of Christoph’s wishes to have the famous German graphic designer Dirk Rudolph create the cover for a Sonic Front album. Dirk has done amazing work for all sorts of German bands including Die Krupps, In Extremo, De/Vision, Weissglut, Die Toten Hosen, and Rammstein. Check out his newly updated website and the PDF file of his more recent work. If you’re really into this kind of artwork, I would strongly recommend checking out his book Spark.

It has been nearly 3 years since Sonic Front guitarist Christoph Renne tragically lost his life after a long struggle with cancer at the young age of just 28. These years have been very tough on the remaining band members, but some time after grieving the loss of a great friend, they gathered themselves together very respectably and decided to finish work on the album they were writing. Pieces, the final Sonic Front album, will be completed in Christoph’s memory.

The band has not officially stated a release date for the album, but the recording and mixing have all been completed so it shouldn’t be too long now. The key song will definitely be “Wave Goodbye” which has already been specially released on the 4th Radio Goethe compilation in 2005. Please take a moment to listen to this heartfelt song on Sonic Front’s Myspace page.

I will bring you the full album tracklist and the cover art when they are released in the near future.

Thanks to Arndt for catching my date mistake.