SCHLAGE MEIN HERZ, SCHLAGE...

The album title translates to 'Beatt my Heart, Beat', and is the first new album in 15 years for this German outfit. Some of the songs are in English, and some in German, hence the German title. It has been really interesting to read some of the reviews of this album, as there are plenty of people out there who are calling this one of the finest albums of the year, and extremely happy that Mayfair are back on the scene again. But, there is a huge part of me who wonders if that emotional attachment has clouded their judgement as while this is an okay album it is never really anything more than that. There is a lot going on in terms of influences, with Rammstein, early Floyd, Radiohead and Porcupine Tree being just some of the more obvious. There re times when the music is direct, but for the most part it is dreamy and drifting, which is one of the issues I have with this as there just isn't enough impact here. It is something that I have both listened to intently and have played in the background while doing other things, and take it from me in the latter it just disappears with no real impact.

At times it is extremely atmospheric, and is often dark, and there are even some riffs here and there, but for some reason this doesn't come together and gell as it should.