Review: Ellen Allien – Dust
Ellen Allien - Dust (2010) [Bpitch Control] // Grade: B
Ellen Allien’s 2003 album, Berlinette, was not only successful as a means of turning the public onto her talents, but was an effort that pushed the reach of the techno genre outside it’s often niche fanbase. After releasing what was heralded as one of the decade’s best electronic albums, 2006′s Orchestra Of Bubbles, Allien did what she does best—smart, well-timed experimentation. 2008′s Sool explored minimal territory, and Allien returns now with Dust, her fifth studio album, a vocally dominant ride that takes minimal undertones and presents them in an accessible package.
Produced by techno veteran Tobias Freund, one might think off the bat that Dust will be a seriously elevated, beat-driven release. But curiously, Allien and Freund walk in the opposite direction, producing a work that is tied more to melody, than minimalism. “Flashy Flashy”, one of the tracklisting’s earliest cuts, easily establishes itself as DJ-ready, Allien’s warbled vocals whispering in repetition alongside the slow churn of the beat. It’s the track that when dropped at the club that will surely bring curious fans boothside to ask for an ID. Allien further explores prominent vocal melody on “You”, a guitar-driven electropop foray. Purists might want to hate the track’s pop admissions, but the lyrics are solid, Allien’s range is strong and the glimmer of the bubbling backbeat pushes the vocals to soaring.
While Dust may not be as innovative as Sool from a production standpoint, it stands alone as an Ellen Allien album unique in its ability to blend references from her past work. “Sun The Rain” and “You” pull guitar-driven focus from Berlinette, while the momentum of “Ever” and the grainy top layer of “Our Utopie” take inspiration from Orchestra Of Bubbles. Ultimately, Dust fails to really push forward any single aspect of Ellen Allien’s sound, and feels less inspired than her past efforts. Yet at the same time there is so much of her past efforts present in tiny little recognizable clips that the album ends up acting as an enjoyable, coasting timeline of her career to date.
