Ende Neu

Emerging from Berlin at the dawn of the '80s, Einstürzende Neubauten crafted a distinctive postpunk, proto-industrial sound that the group is still expanding on 18 years later. Typically, a Neubauten track combines abrasive machine sounds and the simplest of musical elements--spare bass lines, aggressive chants, thudding beats--to produce surprisingly atmospheric music. Ende Neu's "Was Ist Ist" embodies the band's punk-plus-machine attack, while "Installation No. 1" throbs with the pulse that spawned a thousand industrial groups. But the CD's most striking tracks recall the work of dramatic artists like Leonard Cohen and Serge Gainsbourg more than raging power tools. Not a surprise when you consider that singer-guitarist Blixa Bargeld has played with cabaret rockers the Bad Seeds and that Neubauten members have scored numerous films and theater works. A highlight of the album is the exquisite "Stella Maris"--a lovely duet sung by Bargeld and actress Meret Becker, accompanied by strings! --Fred Cisterna