Album ReviewsReviews

Apparat experiments with “Krieg und Frieden (Music for Theatre)”

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text: Evie Saphire-Bernstein

Inspired by Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Apparat’s new album Krieg und Frieden (Music for Theatre) is a wonderfully fascinating musical experience. “A Violent Sky,” the single lead off from the album, is a piano driven dreamy concoction that evokes long lost feelings and ethereal memories. The majority of songs on the album are  instrumental; only a few have lyrics, “A Violent Sky” being one of them. The tracks use string instruments, piano, and various other musical instruments and techniques to evoke a mindset, a moment.

Knowing beforehand that this music was used for a stage production of a play of such magnitude does give the songs a weight that might not be felt otherwise, but the individual songs retain their beauty and charm even without that knowledge. A stunningly standout instrumental track on the album, “K&F Thema (Pizzicato)'” masterfully expresses love and the heartbreaking loss of it.

The only other song to contain lyrics, ‘Light On’,  is dark, filled with sirens and echo-y feedback,  giving an uneasy sensation to the listener. While that is obviously the intention of the recording, the song is also sharp and brave, and evokes a sense of panic while also injecting a flurry of energy into the composition.

The music on this album is experimental and exciting. While it may not contain the most eloquent of songs, what they lack in lyrics, they make up for in emotion. The song on this album are brave, bold, and transformative. Powerful to say the least.

Krieg und Frieden is out on February 19.

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