Pole: Steingarten

Label: Scape

The sixth album from Pole is a stunning electronic journey, light as a feather, transportative and powerful all at once. Simple and undeniable beats are at the core of this album – sparse, bold and tactful, filled with addictive grooves and pulses without being overbearing or intrusive. The rainbow flavors of Steingarten are provided by gentle and subtle melodies, constantly arriving and departing, fragments of a colorful picture that constantly shift focus in a three-dimensional way. The real icing on the cake is the palate of embellishments served up by the Berlin-based Stefan Betke, an array of swelling icy tones, poking frequencies and curious noises endlessly smirking from the speakers, whether it’s the soft guitar riff of “Warum,” the Talking Heads-like new wave beats behind or “Achterbahn” or the claps and crying synthesizer in the haunting closer, “Pferd”. This is one of those records that works in the club, in your home, in your car – a warm, fun, glorious electronic record. (Adam)