Matthias Grübel

The debut album by Matthias Grübel, who plays ‘various instruments, sounds and manipulation’, with the help of some others on violin, electric guitar, voice and ‘orchestra arrangements and other recordings’. Grübel has released before under the guise of Phon Noir on Sub Rosa, but for some reason changed to Telekaster. Its not easy to describe the album. Its all highly atmospheric music, that’s for sure. Not just in a drone sense of the word, because melodies play an important role here. The various instruments seem to me mainly guitars and a piano (perhaps a midi one), with an extensive use of sound effects to create a rich, thick sound, that is orchestral in ‘All That Is Solid Melts Into Noise’, drifting into a more introspective tune of ‘Where Diving Bells Are Ringing’. Post rock is perhaps a term to fits this, but its all without drums and its definitely not static. This music is in constant flux, always on the move. A great record actually. Very melodic, without becoming a pop record. More modern classical, I’d say. A very pleasant and varied album. Highlight of the week. (Vital Weekly, FdW)