L'AME IMMORTELLE - Wenn der Letzte Schatten Fällt  [lt ed 2 CD box set]
CD1:  Songs: 10  Time:  46:05
CD2:  Songs: 5  Time:  25:45
Have you ever purchased a CD and upon first listening to it you find yourself immediately drawn into the music because it sounds so familiar?  Well that was the case with L’ame Immortelle’s Wenn der Letzt Schatten Fällt.  Even though I was only familiar with one of their older tracks (Bitterkeit), I found myself quickly immersed in nearly every track on this new CD.  What I really found amazing about this CD was that when I first played Geffallen at the club, the floor was immediately packed, even though I’m certain that no one had have previously heard it.  I find it truly spectacular that a song or band can pull that off, but as I stated before, L’ame Immortelle’s music is just that infectious.  Geffallen is one of the shining stars on this CD.  The juxtaposed vocals of Sonja (with her sweeping, operatic style) and Thomas (with his gruff, distorted style) is slightly reminiscent of Dust of Basement, but with the male vocals being somewhat toned down.  The music is a combination of quirky electro and energetic synth-pop, with equally emphasis placed on all of the contributing elements.  Another stellar track is Changes.  On this piece, Thomas opts for a non-distorted approach to his vocals and Sonja’s soothing voice is not even present.  The music is comprised of a hard dance beat along with ebbing, near classical sounding synth sounds and an aquatic rhythm.  Sonja takes over the vocal responsibilities on Another Day, a slower moving piece that is driven by the light and airy sequences, a mellow piano, and distant beats.  Ich Gab Dir Alles begins an equally as melodic piece in which Thomas adds some echoing vocals in the background, but when the track picks up some speed and energy, his vocals drift to the forefront to help create a dark and medieval sounding piece.  Sonja does contribute some vocals, but they are restricted to a low crooning of ‘ohs’ and ‘ahs’.  Tears in the Rain is a more darkwave structured piece with Sonja’s breathy vocals taking precedence over the bubbly sequences and trotting beats.  Stern is a more upbeat track, buy oddly enough it’s not due to a harder beat, but rather more complex and faster-paced sequences.  Coming off as a more synth-pop orientated piece, At the End is another track in which Thomas’ vocals are joined/complimented by Sonja’s and placed atop of a steady dance beat, a bubbly analogue sounding rhythm, and quirky sequences.  This is another track that upon first listening to I thought I may have heard before.  Judging from this CD, I personally am going to seek out their two previous releases.  If Wenn Der Letzte Schatten Fällt is any indication of what they sound like, I’ve been missing out.  As far as this particular album goes, I think it’s fantastic.  Produced by Volker Lutz (Evils Toy), Wenn Der Letzte Schatten Fällt is sure to become one of the classic electro releases of the decade.
   
As if Wenn Der Letzte Schatten Fällt weren’t enough to get you going, also included in this box set is a bonus, 5 track CD entitled Echoes.  Along with a few new/ previously unreleased tracks, we also get a few remixes, one by noise terrorist Noisex and one by the UK electro outfit Inertia.  Inertia provides a fast-paced, slightly technofied version of Figure in the Mirror and Das Ich revamps (Love is Lost) by distorting some of the electronic elements and twisting the beat until is comes off sounding as if it has been pulverized into oblivion.  Echoes follows a similar pattern as some of the more dance-orientated pieces on Wenn Der Letzte Schatten Fällt.  This piece is comprised of Sonja’s sweeping vocals, a bubbly rhythm, strict beats, and nicely orchestrated sequences.  Thomas does contribute some vocals to the piece, but they are presented in a more spoken word fashion.  Lastly, included with this pair of CDs is a ½ sheet sized poster of the cover art, which is as stimulating to the eyes as the music is to the ears.
    
TRINITY RECORDS             L'ame Immortelle is:
Ahornweg 19                           Thomas Rainer / Sonja Kraushofer /
64807 Dieburg, Germany        Hannes Medwenitsch
Fax: +49 (0) 60 71/5737           Contact L'ame Immortelle @
                                                   Gewerbegasse 6
                                                   A-2353 Guntramsdorf
                                                   Austria
                                                   Fax: +43 22 36 5 35 34
                                                   e-mail: thomas@lameimmortelle.com
                                                   L'ame Immortelle homepage:
                                                   http://www.lameimmortelle.com

Disc 1
1)  Wenn der Letzte Schatten Fallt        2)  Gefallen           3)  Changes
4)  Another Day                           5)  Ich Gab Dir Alles  6)  Tears in the Rain
7)  Stern                                 8)  Close Your Eyes    9)  At the End
10) In the Heart of Europe (zK mix)

Disc 2
1)  Echoes                                2)  Trust
3)  Love is Lost (derVish mix)            4)  Figure in the Mirror (INERTIA reflection mx)
5)  Place of Refuge (NOISEX rmx)