Emerging late last year from the Weilheim, Germany camp that gave birth to The Notwist, Lali Puna, and Tied and Tickled Trio, Ms. John Soda's debut full-length presented a more sterilized, female adaptation of The Notwist's delicate pop compositions-- all skittering clicks and cuts urgently panning from speaker to speaker, purring electric synthtones and serene cyborg vocals, courtesy of singer Stefanie Böhm (a former member of the post-rock ensemble Couch). Judging from the sound of their new EP, While Talking, they've switched gears. Which isn't necessarily a bad idea in premise-- No P. or D., at a scant eight tracks, seemed perfect in length, and another eight along the same lines could quickly grow tiring. It's their choice of direction that mystifies.
The most immediately detectable difference from Ms. John Soda's debut is that Böhm rarely sings-- rather, she adopts a breathy speaking approach clearly indebted to Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon. Musically, there's not much difference; it's all in the production: the disc has shifted from luminescent neon glow into rougher-edged territory, liberally employing distortion and sharper instrumentation. Though it's an interesting experiment, it rarely pays off. Of course, it's difficult to tell whether that's due to the duo's lack of experience working with harsher sounds or to the general weakness of the tracks themselves. I might be able to see it working out if their forthcoming full-length is more focused. While Talking, however, jumps erratically from straightforward rock-and-roll, to unmotivated post-rock, to aimless mood pieces, to fleeting reprises of the duo's original sound. In a sense, Ms. John Soda have masked their two strongest traits: Böhm's delicate alto and Micha Acher's pop sensibilities.
It's difficult to praise the lyrics of a non-native English-speaking songwriter-- the only recent possible exception being Norway's Sondre Lerche-- but often poor lyrical content can be redeemed by a strong voice and melody. Böhm situated herself firmly in this territory on the duo's last record, and that's all too clear on songs like the opener, "No. One," which have Böhm uttering such inanities as, "The things you say are forgotten. What did you say?" without the support of her charming pop hooks. The music backing her-- a dynamic rock soundtrack stuffed with Weilheim organ whirls, bowed cello, moody electronics, and a percussive rattle that one might liken to the sound of a seashell necklace-- nearly makes up for it, but the juxtaposition of Böhm's vocal delivery and the gravelly rock textures is just too jarring.
"Sometimes Stop, Sometimes Go" nominally implies disjointedness, and as such, the track sees Ms. John Soda not intertwine, but sequence, one after another, an almost Interpol-ish guitar interval riff, and the gentle, and more familiar piano and vocals of No P. or D. For better or worse, the song showcases how cosmic a difference there is between Böhm's singing and speaking voices. "If Someone Would Know", meanwhile, is a self-indulgent, poorly considered drone experiment that poorly utilizes the faraway piano lines and skittery whirls it introduces, and "I Think It Could Work, Marylin" suspends guitar chords and floating organ tones behind the fantastically awful dialogue of its characters Elvis and Marylin, both speaking roles assumed by Böhm. The piece sounds much more like the soundtrack to an art student's introductory film class project than a proper song, possibly because it is: the duo have included a mostly vapid music video for the song on the EP.
While Talking's only non-original composition is "I & #8217", a remix medley of tracks from No P. or D. by Anticon member Subtle. The opening moments pit typewriter clicks against accordion and cello retakes and Böhm's vocal from "Technicolor", inviting a rumbly bass from time to time and dropping into a dark verbal spar of "I don't want to see you techni-nothing-colored." It traverses typical Anticon terrain, with drawn-out vocals, saxophones, and looped cut-ups atop a molasses beat and beaten accordion. The possibilities for this undertaking were enormous, and while comprising the most interesting on the disc, "I & #8217" is actually somewhat tame, especially considering Anticon's ear for the eerie.
Though EPs are a format well-suited to trial-and-error, Ms John Soda have entirely neglected their greatest attributes here. While Talking can count a few successes-- one fairly good rock tune ("No. One"), one half-interesting remix, and one mostly entertaining music video for the one aforementioned fairly good rock tune-- but its bombs are tragic. If all things Weilheim strike your fancy, including the scene's mediocrities and failures, While Talking should find a comfortable space on your CD shelf: right next to The Notwist's debut album.
