Present Paradox is the Dortmund (Germany) songwriter and media artist David Kleinekottmann. The artist has been prolific over the years and we have reviewed most of his work. His latest is called Caesura. In his own words “In a television interview, the philosopher and publicist Carolin Emcke described it as a drastic caesura that affected everyone: The Corona pandemic.”
As someone who writes about music I can say pandemic inspired albums have been constant for the last couple of years. It’s far and away the most popular theme. I think the most interesting aspect of that is how artists interpret it and make it their own. I’m familiar with Present Paradox and I would say if you enjoyed his previous material this should be an easy win. The melancholy Radiohead vibes are still very much all over this album. The album opens with “The Light Has Changed” and you are greeted with a meditative ambient drone. Drums come in with bass soon to follow. Atmospheric pads wrap the song and the song is moody and gray. The vocals feel smothered in reverb and sort of feel like little sparks of light amongst the dark. I did enjoy the Eastern scales he played on the guitar. It’s definitely a strong opener with a David Bowie and late stage Beatles era like quality. “Warning Tape and a Lost Bag” has a great groove which is reminiscent at first of the song “These Are My Twisted Words” by Radiohead. The song goes in a number of creative directions. There’s a stoic like quality to the vocals which are also deceptively catchy. I loved the brighter synths that emerge on the chorus. “Ignorance Is Bliss” is more or less a piano led ballad but there are some serious transitions. If you stripped away the reverb, delay and pads the song would still hold up. The ornamentation definitely gleans into the moody and cerebral quality. I thought the ending was pretty epic. “Shield” is next and this is sort of a jazzy and again very atmospheric heavy song. The groove is lush and evolves into different patterns but it’s often quite subtle. High quality headphones definitely make a difference. “Update 17” felt like an interlude or transition. There’s some guitar which takes its time, some hiss and that’s about it. The song felt more about creating a mood. “The Eyes of All” is a dynamic song with a bit of a slow burn. There’s this sort of off kilter sounding violin which sounded great above the mix. Piano notes trickle about and there’s memorable vocal melodies as well. One of my personal favorites was the more intimate sounding “Dr. Rieux.” The guitar work is really well done and the vocals sound somewhere between Elliott Smith and Thom Yorke. Great song!“Before It Hits The Ground” is a solid closer. The juxtaposition between the piano and beat felt engaging. I thought the vocals were also some of the more memorable on the album. Fans of Present Paradox should be satisfied with this release and if you are unfamiliar with the artist this is a solid starting point. Recommended.
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May 2024
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