Schlammpeitziger - Damenbartblick auf Pregnant Hill

by Maarten Schiethart

published: 26 / 3 / 2018

Schlammpeitziger - Damenbartblick auf Pregnant Hill

Label: Bureau B
Format: CD

Enjoyable off-kilter electronica from Schlammpeitziger, the project of German musician Jo Zimmermann, which is, however, spoiled by its poor lyrics and vocals.

Review

Jo Zimmermann's latest CD under the moniker of Schlammpeitziger again highlights his weak points; vocals and words. Schlammpeitziger has championed whacktronics for a solid twenty-five years, yet no one has rushed out yet to shut Zimmermann's mouth. Charming nonsense about sweet-smelling farts doesn't help. Once it was idiosyncratic but now it is a little bland. Hiding in the shelter of wishy-washy confusing electronica an odd type of music surfaces. Attractive perhaps because of its surreal Cologne/Düsseldorf touch, symphonic qualities arise even when the lyrics become toe-cringing such as on, for example, on 'What I Got.' In German a whiplash would be a 'peitsche' - grammatically female by the way. Yet since Schlammpeitziger is a self-invented artist name, one can assume that his tongue is firmly deep in irony. Great titles in the German language are to be enjoyed on this album. The album title, to start with, for example, translates as 'Lady Beard View On Pregnant Hill'. The song titles are far superior to their respective words, although the album too features rather proudly-pounding instrumental tracks that delve into deeper depths; the title track 'Damenbartblick', for instance, has an addictive 4 by 4 rhythm. 'Smooth Motion Kaukraut', another contender to win a Song Title Contest, tiptoes through breezy electronica with a disturbed type of grace. 'Kaukraut' is a funny and new little wordplay on chewbacca. Very much a mixed bag, the few tracks with vocals got on my nerves, whereas with with many of the instrumentals I felt I was in pure genius company. "I've got a bathroom filled with no hair" is how Schlammpeitziger puts gibberish to music! And surprise, it works on many more occasions than it doesn't. "You got hair but no bathroom." Schlammpeitziger marks the perfect answer. "I've got fifteen seagulls flying in my room." "26, 27, 28." Be a lady. Be Schlammpeitziger. I can't help it but I like this clumsy kraut.