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Propaganda — Propaganda
(Bureau B BB468, 2024, CD / LP / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2024-12-17

Propaganda Cover art

Over forty years ago in Düsseldorf, Germany, former Die Krupps keyboard player Ralf Dörper and Andreas Thein formed the synth-pop group Propaganda. Their last studio album, 1234, was released in 1990. Since then, the band members moved into TV and movie composition, as well as providing a conduit for Düsseldorf’s experimental electronic music scene. Over the years, the group went through several line up changes and with the decision to resume activity, the lineup on their new self-titled album is Ralf Dörper, percussionist Michael Mertens, and vocalist Thunder Bae. Propaganda consists of eight electronic experiments. The album opens with “They Call Me Nocebo,” a vocoded techno piece and some pretty cool guitar work. And for the curious, a nocebo effect is said to occur when a patient's negative expectations for a treatment cause the treatment to have a worse effect than it otherwise would have. The second track is the alluring “Purveyor of Pleasure,” a strong electronic song with Thunder Bae’s sexy vocals. Then things turn a bit dark with “Vicious Circle,” where her auto-tuned vocals sound a bit like Sia. Next is “Tipping Point,” a rapid pulsating track with arpeggiators on full blast. At this point the album becomes very interesting over the next three tracks: the dark and mysterious “Distant,” the dark and crawling chaos of multiple HP Lovecraft references on “Love:Craft,” and the darkly cinematic “Dystopian Waltz.” The album closes with “Wenn Ich Mir Was Wünschen Dürfte,” a pseudo-Krautrock, New Wave, experimental song. Propaganda wanted to produce something real, and they have achieved their goal.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Die Krupps, Propaganda

More info
http://propaganda-official.bandcamp.com/album/propaganda

 

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