I've always known Berliner F.S. Blumm as one half of the duo Sack & Blumm, partner to Harald "Sack" Ziegler, the go-to guy whenever Mouse on Mars wants a horn on their records. Sack & Blumm have released two full-length records together (one on Tomlab, one on the pre-Sonig Dommert/Jan St. Werner-run imprint Gefriem); F.S. Blumm made his full length solo debut in 2001 on Morr with Mondkuchen.
Though he moves in electronic circles, Blumm uses more than a mouse to create his music. In fact, synthetic sounds are rare on Ankhern, his second full-length, and impressively, he plays most of the instruments himself. In both his one-man-band approach and the overall sound of the record, Blumm has a lot in common with Mice Parade. Cleanly picked electric guitar outlines the chord structure, melodic lines come care of cello, vibraphone and horns (yup, that's Sack on the brass). The compositions tend to focus on rhythm and repetition à la classical minimalism: It's music that is crisp and beautiful on its surface, easy to like immediately, with a certain staying power, but ultimately a bit difficult to fall in love with.
I hate to fault a record so consistently lovely as Ankern; there's really no dip in quality among the ten tracks here, and each sounds so nice it's hard to imagine anyone not liking them, whatever their musical background. At times it reminds me of an evocative score to a first rate indie film, something like the music Hal Hartley composes for his pictures, a warm thoughtfulness made a bit pale by some unnamable ache. When the glow of Sack's trumpet swells up at the conclusion of "Folge", finally filling all the empty space left by Blumm's spare plucked guitar and one-note vibraphone riff, it feels like the welcome return of an old friend. "Tal", with its slower tempo, swaying cello, and increased spaciousness, is definitely cinematic, reminding me a bit of the Boxhead Ensemble in the way it conjures the sea. On "Sprung", droney sitar and accordion move in counterpoint to swirling guitar leads and hypnotic guitar patterns. Each track sounds great on first listen, and continues to please on the tenth, yet despite Ankern's positive attributes, something is missing.
The music is almost too clean and orderly for me to feel any deep emotional connection to. Blumm just makes it all sound too easy: sharp melodies, well-balanced sound, and tasteful instrumentation. This is not to say that I won't hold on to Ankern and continue to enjoy it occasionally-- when the mood strikes-- just that Ankern is not the sort of record that crops up on best-of lists come year's end.
