Von Sudenfed - 'Tromantic Reflexxions' (Domino) Released 21/05/07

Ever wondered what the results would be if a techno act which uses live instruments teamed up with Mark E Smith for an album? The ideal results would probably be quite similar to LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Sound of Silver’. Or at least that’s what we might think. How useful, then, that German duo Mouse on Mars and the curmudgeonly Fall frontman have decided to settle the debate for us on ‘Tromatic Reflexxions’.

Under the guise of Von Südenfed, the trio have reunited after a one-off 12” together to record what is, at times, a quite brilliant record. Andi Toma and Jan St Werna are no strangers to working with vocalists and producing more ‘songlike’ material, but the abstract wordplay of Smith offers a different proposition. We’d hoped that the results might have been like LCD, and on ‘Flooded’, Smith’s rant about flooding a nightclub over one of the albums’ most dancefloor-friendly moments, that’s precisely what we get. But this trio have been carving their own niches long enough to get away from any such comparisons before they stick.

While tracks such as ‘The Rhinohead’, ‘The Young The Faceless and The Codes’ and single ‘Fledermaus Can’t Get It’ would sit nicely in any club set, they are only the trunk of a many branched musical tree. ‘Family Feud’ is spliced-up and grimy. ‘Duckrog’ sounds like a drum 'n' bass piss-take while ‘That Sound Wiped’ sets Smith’s scorning of the singer-songwriter phenomenon against a stripped-down disco backing.

‘Tromatic Reflexxions’ was formed out of initial improvised sessions, which has led to a freer, more organic album than the usual emailing of parts between producer and vocalist is capable of creating. However, on the fragmented acoustic blues of ‘Chicken Yiammis’, the meandering exotica of ‘My Dearest Friends’ and the indulgent outtake of ‘Jbak Lois Lane’, it feels that a little more quality control could have been employed.

But these tracks feel like by-products rather than filler, and the highs of the album make it seem harsh to complain. Mouse on Mars prove that techno can be a genuinely free form, while Smith shows that there is nothing he can't do when on form. An understated treasure.