These recordings from West German band Sprung Aus Den Wolken (Jump From The Clouds) comprised of the bands debut EP originally released on ZickZack Records expanded with all sorts of cassette recordings that must have been made at rehearsals etc. The band were part of Berlins Geniale Dillettanten movement alongside Einstürzende Neubauten et al. The track Pas Attendre was famously used by Wim Wenders on the soundtrack of Wings Of Desire as well as in the film Berlin Now. The band were Kiddy Citny, Alexandre Hacke, Jochen Work and Peter Prima.
The album opens with Dub & Die with a simplistic hummed vocal line with basic percussion and a two-note keyboard part work around, effects are thrown at it, Glitchy interjections come and go, eventually a lazy guitar line wanders in.
Komm Her Sing Mitt has the title repeated ad infinitum, a funky bassline and scratchy guitar are built around with some classic early 80's reggae sound effects and a drum pattern that refuses to follow any sort of trad lines.
Jeder Tag is super low fi indie synth pop with a proto drum & bass edge, although there is precious little bass to speak of, the vocals get more pained and strained.
Soso has nothing to do with Led Zeppelin but radically re-works Fever with a wide range of weird noises, found instruments, industrial noises, brilliantly odd.
Gegen Den Strom has a dark narration surrounded by odd buzzing noises a pulsing bass drum, de-tuned guitars with what could be a helicopter rotor sound.
Nichts Im Sinn has a late-night conversational feel as the spare bass and guitar slowly move the tale along, almost like they are narrating a film of some sort.
Leidenschaftlich has a no wave industrial dance feel, with strained vocals as the almost motoric beat drives it on the vocals come in and out of focus.
Bevor Sie Dich Toten is a few steps away from being a jangle pop hit, instead it is slightly askew and off-centre odd pop instead.
Schwing is Schwinging drums for 40 seconds. Lust-Last-Leibe is a pervert's idea of music for sex clubs, this would be for the dungeon, the sexbeat drives them on to heighten pursuits of pleasure, all the voices whisper instructions in your ear, the tape rewinds the selector.
Schur Die Glut has a tense guitar part narrated over as the drums start to gallop as if they are sound tracking a dark crime.
Que Pas I has a folky acoustic guitar being strummed as the English narration switches into German as this feel as far more realised, the textures add more odder elements but is the most accessible song, still while the dentist drill sounds herald a switch to french. Que Pas II is a far darker take with deep bass drum with keyboard and weird noises turning this into more of a horror movie soundtrack song.
The album closes with two version of Pas Attendre version 1 opens with doom laden percussion with a guitar part stolen from Peter Laughner and Rocket From The Tombs as the twin vocals babble away this feels both familiar and strangely unsettling. Pas Attendre II brings the guitar line to the fore with the vocals going a touch Serge Gainsbourg before the deep bass drum joins the fun.
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