Lablaza Dieter Schöön

April 18, 2009

NME

Initially, Dieter´s debut seems bent on reviving electroclash:wonderful opener "Manuel" offers a mix of listless vocals and sleazy beats not heard since 2002. But a curveball follows, as "Mary Jane" opens witha a mariachi band and proceeds to fuse campfire folk with drum´n´bass. The tone is set for an album of frantic genre-hopping. It´s held together by the Swede´s obtuse lyrics. Some read like mistranslations - "Our faces were alljust stupid I guess, but with warm hearts" runs one chorus - while others bristle with menace. "I´ve seen your ugly face in the paper lately...It makes me want to die" he sneers on"Jethead". A genuine eccentric, Schöön scorns convention, and the result is a strange album that never bores. Niall O´Keefe