Blank & Jones - Monument, CD

[Asteroid]

For just under two years, Piet BLANK, Jaspa JONES and Andy Kaufhold worked on "Monument". And monumental is not merely a status the team is playing at, but also the soundscapes they use on the album to bring listeners under their spell. Up to now BLANK & JONES have never in such a masterly fashion brought their potential for shaping sound so much to bear as on "Monument", and rarely was their songwriting so homogeneous and perfectly conceived as on this, their sixth album. After a phenomenal intro, as much the hallmark of a BLANK & JONES album as the manifold atmospheres they create, "Monument" goes its own unstoppable way, revealing from start to finish a seamless kaleidoscope of sounds and electronic grooves. Refined beats and compelling electronic sounds take over the scenery while sparely employed guitar riffs and pointedly placed vocals underscore the dense atmosphere of the tracks which all lead into acoustically infinite worlds. Tight songwriting combined with sound collages that expand your listening habits, leading to 12 hypnotizing tracks that are compelling from the first moment down to the very last tones. On "Monument" BLANK & JONES have made yet another giant step, showing themselves to be the most harmonious songwriters on the contemporary electronic scene - artists who simply don't stand still and whose clearly defined ambitions aim only at further developments.

Among one of the highlights of the album is definitely "A Forest", with Robert Smith. It's a track that because of its resounding success cannot be gotten around.

On the first single from "Monument", "Mind Of The Wonderful" you can hear the wonderful voice of female singer Elles de Graaf, who was already so fascinating with BLANK & JONES on "Relax".

"Monument" is being released in two versions. One as standard CD and another as limited edition with a bonus CD, - lavishly packed. The CD artwork contains prints of two exclusive portraits of Piet BLANK and Jaspa JONES accomplished by the well-known artist and Joseph Beuys student, Emil Schult, also a co-author of Kraftwerk. The portraits were done after hearing all the tracks from the album. And because of his musical past with Kraftwerk his enthusiasm was all the more meaningful and for that the portraits should be a special treat for the aesthetes among his fans.

01. Monument (0:47)
02. What You Need (3:34)
03. City Of Angels (4:49)
04. Mind Of The Wonderful (9:18)
05. Zero Gravity (5:35)
06. A Forest (6:51)
07. Stars Shine Bright (4:42)
08. Perfect Silence (6:15)
09. Flowtation (7:32)
10. Waiting For The Light (6:23)
11. Urban Hymn (5:46)
12. That's Right (2:29)

Limited edition
01. A Forest (RvdB & Exor Remix/B&J Vocalised Edit)
02. Zero Gravity (Envio Remix)
03. Mind Of The Wonderful (Martin Roth Remix)
04. Waiting For The Light (Kyau vs. Albert Remix)
05. Flowtation (Duderstadt Remix)


www.blankandjones.info
www.blankandjones.info/monument