Vigilia, the latest album by Einstürzende Neubauten, is a haunting and experimental journey through soundscapes that are both familiar and unsettling. The album showcases the German industrial rock band's signature blend of avant-garde and post-punk influences, while also incorporating elements of classical music, spoken word, and field recordings.
From the opening track, "Ten Grand Goldie," with its ominous piano chords and distorted vocals, to the closing track, "Möglichkeiten des Notfalls," which features ethereal strings and spoken word poetry, Vigilia is a masterful exploration of texture and atmosphere. The album is at once abrasive and delicate, with moments of chaos and cacophony giving way to moments of beauty and introspection.
One standout track is "La Guillotine de Magritte," which features a haunting melody played on a bowed saw and lyrics inspired by the surrealist paintings of René Magritte. The song builds to a crescendo of crashing percussion and distorted guitar before fading out into a hazy, dreamlike outro.