“TARGETS” is the name of the second album by the Saxon-Thuringian duo. Ostrock? no! In addition to unexpected freshness, the record has a few surprises in store.
Meerane/Meißen – There is probably a point in the life of every e-guitar friend at which, as long as he has not succumbed to some kind of noise fundamentalism, he gets caught up in the whirlpool of art or prog rock. This is due to the somewhat ambivalent general appeal of “Niveau”: On the one hand, one sometimes wants to see one’s genre as being on par with the supposed “high culture” – and that’s where tricky, ambitious music-making comes in handy. And on the other hand, instrument craftsmanship somewhere between quantum physics and high-performance sport also has a powerful amazement factor: how the hell do they do it? So eventually you hear Yes or Dream Theater or Porcupine Tree. But at some point you stop doing that. Undiluted, this is not always tolerable in the long term.
So of course you can be skeptical at first when two distinctive milestones of East German art rock come together for a dual project: Marek
Arnold, born in Meerane in 1974, has already played as a keyboardist and saxophonist with greats such as Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and is known in the scene above all for his sensitively screwed mega
complex rock band Toxic Smile. And Manuel Schmid, born in Altenburg in 1984, has been holding up the mic for a number of years in what is now once again the leading Ostrock-Progband Stern-Combo Meißen. When the second joint record (after “Zeiten” 2018) is only called “Target”, you’re literally waiting for the dust from the loudspeaker, which will probably be served to you as the aromatic floating particles of an acoustic red wine of the century .
Now one should actually write “Pustekuchen”, because the record surprises so badly that these prejudices quickly collapse. Ultimately, you can’t, because the art rock foundation with its
baroque craving for recognition shimmers through the wallpaper in a number of places, so fans of the genre can have their fun. But, big but: The overall design of “Target” can only be called simply amazing! Because Schmid and Arnold, both musically and sound-technically on an international master level, have curated a highly idiosyncratic interior from components of 80s noble pop, chanson, sometimes even lounge jazz or art song for their common small cathedral of sound, which above all by their strange radioesque floating lightness.
On first contact, “Target” walks in like a sensual mix of Blumfeld and Silly, throwing out many tiny barbs. There are danceable, shimmering synths, exceptionally tastefully placed soft lead guitars and creamy-cool late eighties memory saxophones that sound more like ‘retro refreshment bands’ like Destroyer. A fable ballad like “Long Days of Silence” or the musical-heavy, yet unpathetic turns of the chameleon number “Fremder Strand” with its Reznicek-esque fretless basses have to be mastered first. Beautifully, the opener “10illiard Stars” overtakes Stern Meissen as a darned skilful hybrid of 70s prog and 80s pop far to the left.
Mind you: all the references mentioned flash up more like shadows, are rolled up as sketches – but are also quickly pulled away again before you can wrongly listen to them. Then, and this is more typical for art rock, the music quickly takes an unexpected turn. But that almost never happens with the typical hook stroke, but rather in the flowing meander. Schmid and Arnold want to challenge and amaze the listeners, but also want to take them with them. Not an easy undertaking, but “Objectives” succeeds in an exemplary manner: this is highly tangible music of discovery of great originality that is rarely heard. The Ostrock genes are confidently audible (unlike the bulkier Toxic Smile, say), but have a lively 2022 vibe.
So a brilliant record? Especially since Schmid’s voice sounds really beguilingly good on it? Unfortunately only almost: the lyrics! Between wall tattoo aphorisms and banal poetry, they are a minus point that you
somehow overhear.