The title of Nichtseattle’s debut album, »Wendekind« (»Reunification Child«), was already an ambivalent statement and the Berlin artist Katharina Kollmann’s second LP follows up with an even more suggestive one: »Kommunistenlibido« (»A Communist’s Libido«) comprises two controversial catchwords and offers a lot of room for interpretation, but at the same time concisely summarises the coexistence and opposition of collective demands and individual needs. What does that sound like though? Like emo, more precisely the third wave kind. Already the first track, the single »Ein Freund« (»A Friend«) offers guitars reminiscent of Sunny Day Real Estate or Mineral, joined by a trumpet like on an early American Football tune. But because the lyrics are predominantly in German and not obsessively fixated on feelings, but rather written in a both approachable and discursive way, Kollmann’s particular blend of emo music is all the more reminiscent of groups like Katzenstreik. Much like them, the nine songs on »Kommunistenlibido« put the personal in the context of the political. In fact, the musical restraint – there’s barely any drumming, almost none of the classic stop-and-go dynamics, explosive outbursts and guitar feedback to be heard on this records – is a plus: Kollmann’s negotiations of interpersonal processes and their occasional ends are, after all, so sophisticated and open to interpretation that »Kommunistenlibido« could be listened to several times in a row for the lyrics alone. The music does not get in the way, but adds to it. Even if you don’t understand of what Kollmann sings about – you’ll surely feel it.
Kommunistenlibido
