I Tank U

Album review

Shitkatapult mainman Marco Haas isn't about to let the neo-industrial dance stomp of T. Raumschiere disappear anytime soon if the brutal punch of I Tank U is any indication. The challenge has long since been to make what initially might have seemed like a revivalist cul de sac into something more, though, and on this album Haas seems to have figured that out more consistently than on some past efforts, helped in part by a slew of guest performers and vocalists (many of whom drop in the titular phrase throughout, a nice touch), making it more of a collaboration album in the end . If some songs are essentially attractive time killers -- the opening title track is a spot-on, snarling reworking of some of Depeche Mode's instrumental B-sides circa Violator, a familiar template that can be heard all over the album -- then his command of rough-edged squelch, jackboot beats, and all the other necessary signifiers is still excellent. The ace in his hole, unsurprising given his appreciation for the exuberance of glam-descended schaffel, is his happy embrace of smeared, immediate pop -- his own vocal turn on "The Front Row Is Not for the Fragile!" might be the best performance Linkin Park never did, while Gene Serene's altered falsetto on "Pedal to the Metal" set against the slow grind of the song is a pretty solid Prince tribute, and Deichkind's aggressive and exultant German language vocals on "Brenner" is a full-on highlight. Sometimes this feels more like a newer form of retro -- the Puppetmastaz's stop-start MCing on "Animal Territory"'s steady stomp feels like a prime Prodigy Xerox, while the clunky "Crack a Smile" is one Haas vocal too many on a dull trudge of an arrangement. Still, those are rare moments on an exuberant listen.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo