Disreflect - Mnemophobia [Album]

A Different Drum

September 10, 2009, 02:22 PM

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Disreflect is an artist with which I was not previously familiar and I have had trouble finding much information on them. Neither their MySpace page nor their website list much biographical information, other than they are from Germany. Also, it looks like the band may be just one guy and not a band after all. All the photos of the band I could find show only one man and the news on their website is written in first person and is singular. There is no Wikipedia listing..... Yet.

I say “yet,” because Disreflect’s debut release, ‘Mnemophobia,’ is good and if they have good luck and good management, I think they will become much bigger. Disreflect compares itself to 80s German synthpop band Camouflage, which is apt, if you remember them. If you don’t, think Depeche Mode, but darker. I don’t usually go in for this sound and, in fact, the first song, 'Splendors of Night,' is a bright, accessible song, perhaps aimed at the Pop charts? I didn’t like it and wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the release based on this one track. After that though, it got darker and much more interesting.

Much of ‘Mnemophobia’ is infectiously danceable. Pensive, moody vocal melodies are draped with dreamy synthesizer lines and snappy percussion. I’m not sure there is an acoustic instrument anywhere on the album as it sounded entirely electronic to me. That is not a check mark against this album though as the electronic nature of all the songs helps to give ‘Mnemophobia’ a consistent feel.

Saying that though, a few of the songs on ‘Mnemophobia’ came off as filler, but many of the songs still hold your interest. 'Silence' is close to a standard club song but the melody wanders around a bit like a Bjork tune. 'Wunderbar' is, I think the only song sung in German on this disc so I don’t know what is supposedly so wonderful, but the layering of the vocals give this track a deeper sound than a lot of them. 'Still I Feel' is a ballad of longing that manages to sound both oozy and mechanical and the closer, 'Blind,' is 5 minutes of uplifting chord progressions from synthesized strings that include a pretty melody.

For someone who doesn’t usually like German synthpop I was surprised at how much I liked ‘Mnemophobia’ and I will definitely be looking out for Disreflect’s next release.

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