Ornament & Verbrechen — S/T
Originally released in 1988, Ornament & Verbrechen's self titled debut was supremely limited, but thankfully enough copies were distributed and redubbed for it to make an impact. Weaving between art piece and post-punk/new wave/goth melancholia, O&V composed an endearing work and this release give a modern audience an insight at a time behind the wall. Without the glamour and glitz of their contemporaries throughout the rest of Europe and the world, O&V deliver heartfelt, beautiful sounds that are also drenched with sadness and a grim, claustrophobic air. Opening with "Torture," there's a very familiar element to O&V in the vocal delivery, but that's where similarities end. Almost cinematic, the intermingled layers in the background channel both East and West, both future and past, and are really unique. The calm, New Wave styled, near spoken vocals elicit some comfort to guide the listener over the swirling and building background chaos, and that's only the start. "The Death by Heroin of Sid Vicious" takes the jangling cacophony a bit further, but leaves out the life vest of comfortable vocals, and descends fully into swirling despair worthy of the title. "Surety" seemingly comes out of nowhere with its Joy Division/New Order vibe, and really hammers home the talent on display. Hearing this in 2019, it sounds like it was recorded by any of the "wave" revival bands around, showing the scope of this track in 1988. Expanding beyond their scene, their sound, and their style, O&V were able to flip their "weird" switch off at will and make really gorgeous, haunting pop. "S Geudet vielen die Zeit" and "When I Am I Am Not" seem to flow together, bring the album back to Earth, and expand the atmosphere with uncomfortable warbling and jazz stabs. Like a lighter (sonically, anyway) version of "Surety," "Jesus" brightens the mix with its synths, and the screaming horns in the back add a delightful response to the vocal sample laid over the top. "Gammas" is a short, crackling, cinematic bridge to the closer, "Sally." Like the final scene in a gothic vampire flick, grimness and pomp abound, as the morose singer laments the titular Sally. Swirling and strange, yet making absolutely perfect sense, O&V wrap up their album the exact way it started; "what is this? Oh, I get it. Do I? Yes. Interesting. Unique. I dig it."
Bringing unheard or lost cassette classics to a modern audience, Play Loud! kicks off it's new Tapetopia series with the self-titled, 1988 debut from Ornament & Verbrechen. A wonderful, avant-garde slice of pop from the GDR, O&V's debut hits all the right buttons. While it may not have a danceable beat, a scream at the top of your lungs chorus, or any chance at being in a John Hughes film, this album shows a band using their artistic talents well and creating a beautiful work in a repressed time period. Tapetopia will be a series to keep one's eyes out for.