EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN / Silence is Sexy (2000)

The cushion soft, bassy tones of Blixa Bargeld are instantly recognisable. When paired with the calculated and orchestrated perfection of the rest of Einstürzende Neubauten, magic happens. Together they traverse borders and boundaries, fuelled by catchy rhythms and stirring percussion that toys with the silly, the serious, the terrifying and the beautiful. I suspect they'd be equally at home on Sesame Street as they would be breaking bread and debating determinism with the great philosophers. Belief in their own ability makes them strong. An experimental approach to music makes them special.

Songs of Note: Die Befindlichkeit des Landes; Total Eclipse of the Sun

5 golden memories out of 5

EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN / Tabula Rasa (1993)

Despite losing the hammering and pneumatic drill sounds, and upping the ambient experimentation, Tabula Rasa is still very much Ein Neu. It's imbued with a taught, pensive emotion and a strange kind of hypnotic, exotic beauty that gets deep under my skin. The bass is used sparingly but makes a huge impact when it arrives, naked and purposeful. It's largely musically magniloquent, like an arty-farty sculpture cut from sound. On the album's longest track, Headcleaner, Blixa Bargeld reminds us how we got to this point. Evolution is always frightening. If you like your music challenging, you'll eventually end up at Tabula Rasa.

Songs of Note: Die Interimsliebenden; Blume

5 epistemological theories out of 5