Though it's the first release of the duo in nearly a decade, and the first for Staubgold itself, in ways
Klangwart's
Stadtlandfluss is actually the culmination of a lot of work on the part of both its label and bandmembers. Markus Detmer founded Staubgold shortly after the band's first release while Timo Reuber has released a series of albums on that label, while the two had performed a number of shows together irregularly over the years since the release of 1999's Zwei. A short release that essentially consists of one long song divided into seven interrelated parts,
Stadtlandfluss does not aim to be overtly momentous, slowly easing to life with the steady flowing drones of "Zwei Töne" before blending into "IO," where a series of trebly squelches and bursts play through the mix almost like gnats trying to disturb a slowly moving elephant. It's a simple but effective contrast, and throughout
Stadtlandfluss there's the sense of a now established pair of musicians looking back on a lot of work with understandable pride while seeing what they can do next of interest. It's no surprise that they list figures like
Terry Riley and
Steve Reich on their webpage as influences; as with many electronic minimalists they know their roots, and if they can sometimes be obvious they do not simply clone the past. Each new song introduces and/or removes or prioritizes a new element, which ranges from found sound broadcast samples (the appropriately titled "Radio") to a swirling chug of distorted sonics as exaltation ("Telemann," the highlight of the album as a whole). ~ Ned Raggett