Ministry of Wolves - Musik from Republic Der Wolfe

by Maarten Schiethart

published: 23 / 4 / 2014

Ministry of Wolves - Musik from Republic Der Wolfe

Label: Mute Records
Format: CD

Underwhelming soundtrack album from new wave super group including the Bad Seeds' Mick Harvey, which features songs written for Republik Der Wolfe, a multi-media theatre show which was premiered earlier this year in Dortmund

Review

This zany cabaret music, which comes from an assortment of new wave ex-pat cohorts inlcuding the Birthday Party and the Bad Seeds' Mick Harvey, fails to nail it. The four members of Berlin's Republik der Wölfe appear way too self-conscious as their individual contributions lead to little more than library muzak. The uninitiated and intellectually deprived could perhaps find consolence in these whimsical tracks. Telling fairy tales as if they were waltzes to one's imagination, the album nevertheless balances on the thin line that seperates pathos from genuine drama. Put bluntly, this is posh Berlin artsy fartsy vagueness. The listener remains disconnected from any sense of melody or joy of music. Acting clever, the Ministry of Wolves take on popular themes and then fail to add a a touch of anything new to themn. File under weak Leonard Cohen imitations.

Track Listing:-

1 The Gold Key
2 Rumpelstiltskin
3 The Frog Prince
4 Cinderella
5 Rapunzel
6 Hansel & Gretel
7 Snow White
8 The Little Peasant
9 Sleeping Beauty
10 Iron Hans
11 Little Red Riding Hood
12 White Snake Waltz