originally published on Cityness by LG on February 3, 2011
If there ever was the ultimate soundtrack for the urban at night, it would be ‘Sunset Mission’ by Bohren und der Club of Gore. It is darkjazz at its best, to be played around midnight during a rainy evening in, of course, a big city.
Sunset Mission cover
Bohren et al. started as a German collective playing metal but those influences gave way for jazz and Sunset Mission was the first release where no guitars were used anymore. Subsequent releases become more abstract pieces of art, aimed at achieving maximum impact with minimal means. In a sense, Sunset Mission is their most accessible work in the realm of jazz. But don’t be fooled because the music on Sunset Mission becomes more abstract over its +70 minutes playing time.
Bohren & der Club of Gore
The art is in the fact that you won’t notice this unless you put your player on repeat, in which case the opening song sounds almost too straight in your face. The overall atmosphere is unbelievably heavy and gloomy but in the nicest possible way, i.e. you don’t feel inclined to reach for your razorblades. It invites you on a journey into your own thoughts.
There are times when I don’t want to listen to it because I know it will expand my gloomier self. However, when in the right mood, it hits the right spot and I keep playing it over and over again during night. Highly recommended.
