»Has the world always been this bleak?« Berlin producer and singer Annegret Perel Fiedler posed this question back in early February, when her single »Real« was released, a harbinger for her second album »Jesus Was an Alien«. That was a few weeks before Russia started its war against Ukraine. Her view of the world has unfortunately proved to be relevant until further notice. Musically, one of the numbers puts you in a kind of disco trance, grounded at the same time by this disarmingly perplexed singing that is not the least bit ashamed of its many questions without answers. The title song has a similarly stroboscopic musical foundation, except that Perel, herself an accomplished vocalist, offers a duet with her Canadian colleague Marie Davidson. And that voice! Ever since her EP »Karlsson«, Perel has secured a firm place in the author’s heart, and the alien view of the Saviour that she provides this time reinforces that even more. Short interludes underline the otherworldly nature of her subject, but at its core it’s about continuing the venerable techno-pop tradition. Warm synth basses, catchy harmonies like in the appropriately titled »The Principle of Vibration« and Perel taking a leap far out into the open simply through her striking articulation. A great success and one of the best compact albums in a while.
Jesus Was An Alien
