CD, Einzeleinheit, 2003
www.einzeleinheit.de
I guess I’ll have the privilege of being the second one to write a bad review of Naarmann and Robert Neiteller’s “Schwester Thelesitis”. Released under the banner of EinzelEinheit, a label dealing in “interface music”, as they put it, this 2003 release has seriously troubled me. But since denial is the first line of mental self-defence, I decided that it isn’t me that’s “not getting it” and it’s the record itself to blame.
“Schwester Thelesitis” is, by my books, minimalist ambient electronic music. Its main problem is that it’s more ambient in the sense that it goes unnoticed in an atmosphere, than actually creating one by itself. It may be the fact that the sound is too minimalistic, the range of paces and sounds too limited for my taste, but in the end, I didn’t enjoy this record. As a matter of fact, I almost didn’t notice the record had finished, which is the harshest thing I can probably say about an album.
Naarmann and Neiteller should really work on their structures, and try adding more depth to their syntheses. The listener mustn’t imagine the ambience himself based on fragments of sound, but be immersed in it, and that’s where I believe “Schwester Thelesitis” fails. The repetitive and simplistic sound of the release will disappoint you, especially if you actually try hard to find redeeming qualities in it.
I at least hope that the upcoming “Naarland” release from this duo will be only worth praise..
[3/10]
— George Mouratidis