TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS [AKA: TRANS-EUROPA EXPRESS]

Trans-Europe Express ultimately comes off as seeming like Autobahn's brother or partner. The concept is very similar (highway travel vs. railroad travel), and the music has a similar motor- like beat moving the album along its tracks to the final destination point. The vocals as used in Autobahn are similar to the vocals here on the "Europe Endless", speaking in robo-zombie drones that let you know what the song title is, which are also followed by the experimental and developmental progressions of Autobahn. But, that's really only the first track that seems like a more sophisticated rehash from the Autobahn.

From the second track, "The Hall of Mirrors", we get some darker and more experimental robo- electro that sounds very deep and oppressed. I only have the German version of this album, so while the lyrics are completely oblivious to me, they definitely sound more man-like and depressing, leading me to believe that this is probably one of the gloomier tracks in the Kraftwerk catalog. "Showroom Dummies" continues in the same way, mostly, but with a stronger emphasis its forceful beat. It's one of the more classic tracks, and is very dance-able, but it doesn't sound nearly optimistic enough. The title-track continues this oppressed feeling followed by forceful beat, and by now it should be recognizable that this is another very dark and dead sounding robotic album. "Metal on Metal" has a distinct industrialized feel to it, with the kling-klang of metal on metal, as the title suggests, but really isn't abrasive. The only track on this album that really stands out as filler to me is "Franz Schubert". The name suggests possibly great, romantic composition full of color, but is really just a constant boring beat with minimalistic drones over the top. Nothing colorful here.

This album is really great, especially for fans looking for what is basically a darker and more sinister version of Autobahn.