Oberer Totpunkt – Stiller Zoo

Releasedate: 21-05-2010; Label: Alive / danse Macabre
By: Nina Mende

Oberer Totpunkt is a German electro act founded in 2006. And that is what they are all about: The figures in the spoken word stories of ::OT:: have reached their personal top dead center – existence’s, that have wrenched themselves from the vice of middle-class expectations and define their own norms. And over twist the lever. The deep black stories tell about the discrepancy between exterior and interior „reality“, about love, that is so consumptive, that it allows no compromises, about women, who love to death. They tell about fear, that attends a life long, about gluttony, the loss of sense, the loss of ideals. They tell about the things, people believe in, about elapsing lifetime, about dreams that become a farce… In the stories of ::OT:: everything turns on collective nightmares.

“Stiller Zoo” is their third album.With a female talking over the music and distorded male vocals in the background Oberer Totpunkt get you through their twelve songs. Somewhere between electro and disco beats they try to find a balance of all their influences. The lyrics are very interesting, all in German and can be found in the booklet along with several interesting and odd pictures and artwork. Somehow the album artwork reminds of a circus brochure from the outside but has more of a theater style inside along with some pictures as a band. The sound itself is quite prosy, not much variation in there. But the album feels like it is more supposed to be art than actual music to enjoy and have fun to.

Line Up:
BETTINA BORMANN: Autorin, Spoken-Word-Performance.
MICHAEL KRÜGER. Drums, Composer, Grafik-Designer
DAVID NESSELHAUF: Bass, Composer

Tracklist: 01. STAUB 02. ES WAR EINMAL 03. DIE VOGELHOCHZEIT 04. ZORN DES DRACHEN 05. GEVATTER TOD 06. 1001 NACHT 07. TEUFELS LEHRERIN 08. NERVENFIEBER 09. GEFANGEN IM VERGANGENEN 10. PAUL IST TOT 11. STERNENSTAUB 12. ES WIRD EINMAL GEWESEN SEIN

Links:
Oberer Totpunkt MySpace
Oberer Totpunkt Official