Album review: Dieter Schoon

Initially, Dieter’s debut seems bent on reviving electroclash: wonderful opener ‘Manuel’ offers a mix of listless vocals and sleazy beats not heard since 2002. But a curveball follows, as ‘Mary Jane’ opens with a mariachi band and proceeds to fuse campfire folk with drum’n’bass. The tone is set for an album of frantic genre-hopping. It’s held together by the Swede’s obtuse lyrics. Some read like mistranslations – “Our faces were all just stupid I guess, but with warm hearts” runs one chorus – while others bristle with menace. “I’ve seen your ugly face in the paper lately… It makes me want to die” he sneers on ‘Jethead’. A genuine eccentric, Schöön scorns convention, and the result is a strange album that never bores.

Niall O’Keefe

More on this artist:
Dieter Schoon NME Artist Page
Dieter Schoon MySpace

7 out of 10