Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala

comments

Newly won and improved subtlety replaces the spontaneous distractedness and the destructional madness of former days – with their fourth studio album released in 1987, the Berlin noise artists of the Einstürzende Neubauten went back to the legendary Hansa-Studio, and with the help of the producer-icon Gareth Jones they arrived at the boundaries of acoustic feasibilities once again. For the first time, Blixa Bargeld and Co. placed their bets on their ideas about beautiful sound, integrating genuine string instruments into their songs and consequently unsettling a whole genre once more! The omnipresent aggressiveness, practiced almost excessively before, gives way to a disrupted, deceptive and unpredictable quiet, which is borne in songs such as “Zerstörte Zelle,” “Morning Dew” or the extremely characteristic and programmatic “Keine Schönheit ohne Gefahr.” As a consequence even the detested Arts & Culture pages became aware of the walled city curiosity that had only been smiled at up until then. A significant album for music history and a milestone of industrial music!

Zerstörte Zellen

Destroyed cell
destroyed cell
I only know where I continue to stay
only know where I always seemed to be
I only know I will be staying here
only know I must have always been here
destroyed cell
destroyed cell
see the cell structure…
see my cell structure which drop by drop by drop dissolves
see my cell structure dissolving
drop by drop by drop…
destroyed cell
destroyed cell
and all at once I realize:
that arms are not wings
and fully fail to fly
fully fail to fly
destroyed cell
destroyed cell
the cell core breaks out
– to quote myself – the cell core breaks out
the cell wall breaks down
destroyed cell — cell fire
be sure to set my cell ablaze tonight
the cell core breaks out
lava breaks out
destroyed cell
destroyed cell
do you hear dear brother?
I am Prometheus
go get my gift
go get my gift back, pick it up
I am Prometheus
only my liver won’t grow back
destroyed cell
the eagle must starve
I set my cell ablaze tonight
destroyed cell
the eagle must starve
may starve
will starve
the consumed feathered fowl
plummets

Ich bins

I see nothing
nothing I can drink
I bite on my tongue
and drink what I can

 

Open another door
don’t open up

 

I hear nothing
no numbers, no digits
the dial tone screams at me
nothing can part us
nothing to keep us in this dream
Yes, yes, yes – hello?

 

Open another door
don’t open up

 

Empty doctrine
shed evidently
nothing than light
in no time at all
outside is a new day – somewhere
just not here – nowhere

 

Open another door
don’t open up

 

Empty sets devoid of elements
all elements
but
all elements to unrest inspire
hack up a broom
ignite a fire
maelstrom in this room

 

Open another door
don’t open up

 

Shadow of myself
it’s me
shadow of myself

 

Open another door
don’t open up

 

My guest is waiting
been waiting some time
makes itself at home in the cupboard
is patiently waiting
my guest is waiting
my guest wants to leave at last
my guest is waiting

 

but

 

For nothing
will I open this door
as long as my centre still shines
because my centre still shines
because uninvitedly my centre still shines

 

Open me up
open me up
up and off into the open

MODIMIDOFRSASO

Monday (Weekday and bring out
the clarinet!)
Taktaktaktaktaktaktaktaktak dingdong
Hallelujah!
time elapses – time lapses
for all I care, let it then
I refuse as ever I do
to expire into immortality
instead:
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN and so on etc.
nail my heart to the cross beam of a window
let me tend on down my longings
or crash down
night soon over
crash-out dive
my heart loaded
my heart released
my heart has set its sights upon tonight
target missed
off into decline
then more likely:
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN as ever ever
now as ever yeah yeah yeah
see the day breaking once again
can’t believe it
but it is there
no one asked for it

 

Tuesday
postcard rises
film in the lower head
earth splits wide open
the crater thunders condemnation
swallows half the world’s population
all heroes dead – Happy End
in the crater trees return to blossom
PG sixteen years and over

 

Wednesday
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSDOREMIFASOLATIDO
I follow the red thread
scatter pebbles behind me
my head is a labyrinth
my life is a minefield
evening dusk – short break

 

Clarinet

 

Thursday
here comes the night
new game – new luck
do not pass Go!

 

Friday
Whatever once did leave me
left me as leftovers
in the rubble of the night
and within, a hollow
time heals all wounds:
claim only the snails
take a card from chance
once in a lifetime everyone gets a stomach pump, woops!
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN anyway
it’s some pope’s fault
no thank you! For each new day
Hallelujah! Let’s get away!
Are you going my way?
Are you going my way?
Let’s get away!
Are you going my way?
Are you going my way?
Say yeah, say yeah!
Are you going my way?
Are you going my way?
Hooray hooray!

 

Saturday
andandand
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN
MONTUESWEDTHURSFRISATSUN

 

Sunday
my head is a labyrinth
my life is a minefield
Hooray hooray!
Hallelujah!

12 STÄDTE

Running through twelve cities
again and again on the run
all times twelve
times assumed
equals the
times assumed and not given
too late to be immaculate
biding the angels
angels with eight-digit numbers
angels which look like they ought
like projections
like inventions
like me
were anyhow always there
but really have little to offer
just mirroring
the drooling distant light of twelve cities
twelve cities
broken bent
hurled back
it lands
on whomsoever
prancing jewels
debased beasts of fable
on whomsoever
too late to be immaculate
twelve cities
twelve cities
this singular being bares itself
bares the mouth of the ears
hanging on lips
even sadder
like herpes, occupying pores in its corner, eavesdrops:
and yet nausea
held for churned-up entrails
and churned-up entrails
held for nausea
twelve cities
line for line they dilute stomach acid
cut venom with ambrosia
whatever was set in black and white
parasitic variety pays heed
to whatever untenable stuff
is hauled from the jaws
first heed what feeds it
line for line
twelve cities
too late to be immaculate
twelve cities
too late to be immaculate
twelve cities

Keine Schönheit ohne Gefahr

Once again
at the edge
so close to the edge
ready
from one or the other
side to fall
damned fall
damned fall
don’t grab on
listen!
no beauty without danger
without danger
no beauty without danger
without danger
danger
at the edge
damned fall
fall
fallen
fallen without danger
no beauty without danger
no beauty without danger
and no love
also no love
without danger
without danger
without danger

Kein Bestandteil sein

Want want want to be no part of it
want want want want to be no part of it
want want to be no part of it
no part of it
not of that which was, it was nothing
not of that which soon is coming
not of none of that
not of that which is, by all means no, not of that
want want want want want want want want want
want want want to be no part of it
no particle in the net
no dust…
want want want want to be no part of it
(ex)change my voice for bird screeches
change my voice for bird screeches
change my beat, the beat of my heart for tremors
as high as possible on the open-ended
Richter scale

This content is available exclusively to members of Einstürzende's Patreon at $.. or more.