“There are strokes of genius and poignant moments in this unreleased OST”
1 LiCHTBLiCK 4:17
2 MODUS OPERANDi 4:48
3 DER EiNZiGE UND SEiN EiGENTUM 5:54
4 DiE DUNKELHEiT DES AUDiTORiUMS 5:48
5 KEiN GESTERN, KEiN HEUTE, KEiN MORGEN 4:48
6 PATiENT 10:28
7 DiE SONNE DES BEWUSSTSEiNS 5:08
8 NOAH FUNK 7:02
9 RÜCKKEHR 6:24
10 PROViNZ 4:04
11 AUFBRUCH 3:45
(DDL 62:29) (V.F.)
(Ambient, Dark Synth Waves)
It's with samplings of voices lying on hoops evaporating in a musical blue that LiCHTBLiCK hesitates to come out of its rhythmic shell. Not that his rhythm is violent, no! Sitting on slow pulses of a sultry bassline, well-tuned percussions, DJ's chak-a-chak effects and floating synth pads, this down-tempo and its scorching bass are moving on and off between dialogues and sci-fi analog cosmic elements. For M!D!-B!TCH, RAiNBOW CONNECTiON is the lost soundtrack of a dystopian movie that was never made. An original concept-album available only for download, the 11 tracks illustrate the journey of an entity in a retro-futuristic world. At one point, he realizes that he is traveling without moving and that his own existence also seems to be an illusion. The bad boy of retro synth-pop resurfaces with an amazing album that proves he's not just a flash in the pan. The sonic environment is exploited to the fullest for a palette of short tracks, that total over an hour of slow beats, is sitting on percussive effects from the synth-wave years and filled of cosmic and futuristic electronic effects with plenty of vocal samplings. Among them is an artificial voice, a synth-diva, which gives us chills at times. For the most part, the setting is fueled by reverberating effects and short synth pads that are the source of melodies going on among artificial voices.
The electronic winds driving MODUS OPERANDi initiate a churning play of bass-sequences under a sky illuminated with electronic effects comparable to futuristic fireworks. Apart from the spacey voice samplings, there is a layer of absent voices whose fusion ignites a kind of electronic rock (E-Rock) with a good rhythm that is more catchy than slow. The guitar becomes more perceptible after the 3rd minute, introducing solos and ambient laments to give shivers to the soul. A very good track that becomes poignant. And DER EiNZiGE UND SEiN EiGENTUM has absolutely nothing to envy it. Its slow morphic rhythm is well packed in its case of anaesthetizing mist full of reverberations. Keyboard chords embellish this introduction that clings to its slow flow that is more in the 80's synth-wave style with percussion's sputterings from that period and the atmospheric wanderings filled with the whispers of a Synth-Diva. The arrangements are well done with a more dramatic, cinematic level of intensity tied to the keyboard chords that are nonetheless very discreet. Escaping from its core of reverberations, softened by that artificial voice predominant in RAiNBOW CONNECTiON, DiE DUNKELHEiT DES AUDiTORiUMS is offering a very nice lunar ballad with a more dramatic vision here than elsewhere on this album. Its slow rhythm seems to drag the weight of the universe on its percussion. The synth pads fit the humming voice while the arrangements are designed to give us chills. A great track! We always stay in slow structures, even when pushed by circular elements, like in KEiN GESTERN, KEiN HEUTE, KEiN MORGEN and its fluttering wings that make it vibrate on the spot in a decor that smells improvisation with this organ spitting the fire of an E-Rock unfinished.
Drum'n'bass-like cymbals flutter in the opening of PATiENT, which offers nothing less than a long dialogue between a patient and his shrink over a texture of reverberations that curl up like a knot of snakes. The ambiences become intense at times, dropping ballast in order to avoid an appropriate explosion. A long atmospheric interlude before the dance structure that is DiE SONNE DES BEWUSSTSEiNS. The sequencer unravels a circular and spasmodic line, supporting a keyboard and its scattered chords as well as a synth with short breaths aiming to become harmonies, like solos. NOAH FUNK doesn't really need any description, its title says it all! It's an excellent Funk inseminated by a cosmic electronic flora with arrangements that surprise as well as charm with its core of trumpets and saxophones. All this takes place in Cosmos and its multiple effects and musical fireworks. The drums are exceptional towards its finale. A very different slow title this RÜCKKEHR is! Its slow rhythm is activated by good percussions which do the job while the texture of harmony remains nebulous with waves of reverberations, more musical here than elsewhere, and sinister synth layers scribbled by guitar effects and distant saxophone arrangements. PROViNZ takes us back to the fuller atmospheres of RAiNBOW CONNECTiON's first half. Its non-existent flow personifies a cinematic texture of a bustling city with creative sound effects that managed to entice my ears. AUFBRUCH offers a finale that literally connects to the album's story. It opens with the husky voice, I guess of the one who didn't want to play the piano (PATiENT), articulated with a cannula inserted in the neck. The music comes to life with a delicate keyboard whose limpid chords are invaded by a screaming voice whining its claims. Structured on good percussions, AUFBRUCH moves on with the impulses thrown by the synth and a guitar which share ambiances and rhythm on this dark title. These impulses become more accentuated, giving a dramatic texture to this track which will make us hear again this keyboard before fading out. No problem let's play it again!
Less powerful than Transkosmos, RAiNBOW CONNECTiON is still a good album with a very strong first half. Too strong compared to the rest of the album! I still like to hear the universe of this deviant Punk that tries to do Electronica in electronic textures not far from Post-Punk. There are little strokes of genius from M!D!-B!TCH in this album, as well as poignant moments showing that we are dealing with an artist with countless creative tentacles.
Sylvain Lupari (July 17th, 2021) ***½**
Available at M!D!-B!TCH Bandcamp