Klangkarussell 'Netzwerk' - Album Review

Tobias Rieser and Adrian Held had a surprise hit with 2012’s ‘Sonnentanz’, a Soundcloud posting that eventually topped charts across Europe. Clearly the Austrians have a taste for more: their debut album is a meticulously assembled plea for mainstream love, every beat and bleep buffed so it is blindingly bright.
Occasionally, they also remember to include a tune. If several numbers suggest watery retreads of ‘Sonnentanz’ (it is, of course, here also) that’s no bad thing: the track is a proper thoroughbred, simultaneously anthemic and haunting.
It’s when they try to expand their sound that Rieser and Held lose footing. The reheated big-beat of ‘Celebrate’ is an exercise in hollow nostalgia; Tom Cane’s vocal on ‘Netzwerk (Falls Like Rain)’ make Klangkarussell sound like just another soulless EDM crew. Disappointing.

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