Einstürzende Neubauten: Silence Is Sexy (Deluxe / Limited Edition 2CD Digipak)

Released in 2000, Silence Is Sexy captures Einstürzende Neubauten at a fascinating point in their evolution. Two decades after establishing themselves as pioneers of industrial and experimental music, the Berlin group demonstrated that intensity didn’t necessarily require sheer volume. Space, restraint and, appropriately enough, silence become instruments in their own right.

The album opens with “Sabrina,” one of the most beautiful and accessible recordings in the Neubauten catalogue. Blixa Bargeld’s measured vocal sits among strings, vibraphone and restrained percussion, immediately signalling how far the band had travelled from the metallic violence of their earliest recordings.

The title track takes the concept even further. “Silence Is Sexy” uses repetition, minimal instrumentation and long stretches of space to create tension. Elsewhere, “Newtons Gravitätlichkeit,” “Zampano” and “Die Befindlichkeit des Landes” demonstrate the extraordinary range of sounds Neubauten could extract from conventional instruments and their familiar arsenal of found objects and custom-built percussion.

That doesn’t mean the band’s industrial instincts disappeared. “Redukt” gradually develops into something considerably more forceful, while the hypnotic “Sonnenbarke” remains one of the album’s standout pieces. The recording sessions involved everything from metal bars and drills to car tyres, plastic percussion, falling objects and a mobile phone.

This 2CD edition is particularly interesting because the second disc is devoted entirely to “Pelikanol,” an approximately 18-minute piece built around Blixa Bargeld’s vocal improvisation and a mechanical installation involving a drill striking aluminium strips. It was recorded live without edits or overdubs, making the bonus disc much more than a collection of leftover material.

Silence Is Sexy is one of those records that challenges the simplistic description of Einstürzende Neubauten as an industrial band that makes music by hitting pieces of metal. It’s experimental without becoming impenetrable, occasionally beautiful and frequently unsettling. More than 25 years later, it remains one of the most distinctive records in their catalogue.