THE MAN-MACHINE [AKA: DIE MENSCH-MASCHINE]

This is another album where the number of stars I give it is not fully indicative of how much I like it. I think this is a very good album, probably four stars on my personal scale, but in terms of its importance to a progressive rock collection, I think it meets the three star qualification of "Good, but non-essential." Is it a good album? Yes. Is it innovative for its time? No doubt. Does it have a whole lot to do with the genre of progressive rock? Not really.

But onto the actual music. If I had to describe this album in one word, it would be "smooth." The soundscapes and electronic textures flow in a way that is very aesthetically nice, never abrasive. However, as you can clearly see by the track lengths, there are no Klaus Schulze- esque thirty minute voyages here. These are very tight compositions which, I think I can safely say, were hugely influential to a lot of pop and electro pop even up until the modern day. The music is essentially built on repetition, with most songs consisting of an electronic loop that is continuously being added to or sung over. I listened to the album in German, but I don't think that really affects the nature of the songs too much; most of the vocals are heavily modified and simply serve as another texture in the mix.

I really do think this is a very enjoyable album to listen to, and if I were reviewing it for a general music site I would not hesitate to give it 4 or even 4.5 stars. However, this is a prog site, and other than the general innovation in the sounds used this is simply a very good pop album.

3/5