To keep control or to let art take over, Present Paradox chooses both with A Trace To Keep Control. Review.
A TRACE TO KEEP CONTROL – PRESENT PARADOX
Social gaps, wars, far-right winning over many countries, and climate change speeding up every day… These are themes that both worry and inspire David Kleinekottmann, A.K.A. Present Paradox, for his new album A Trace To Keep Control. Despite these strong themes, also known as sources of profound anxiety, the German artist manages to balance them out with a dash of hope. Musically, it translates into a fluid and tender blend of genres. From rock to krautrock and jazz, this is a record with gripping atmospheres.
It opens with a delicate guitar, careful yet regular and worrisome. It’s The Crack, and when Present Paradox’s vocals hit, along with a light echoing effect, it’s a new world that opens its doors. The Boxes keep the same spirit up, with a dash of urgency on top of it. The effects on the vocals will be present throughout the record, but always well-balanced for each track, giving some depth to it all. An Avatar On A Black Surface goes for harsher rock notes as it highlights a prayer-like singing, injecting hope into it. Once again, it’s wonderfully done. Denial, Denial walks in the same direction, with a vibrant energy.
Its jazz core can be found on Ready to Hide and Ephemeral Ghosts with the brass section. When The Flood and Distorted Mirror Images invoke softer melancholic instants, the darkness comes back on Gurus Circel. It melts into the guitars of We Need To Take Control. Because, here, everything is about control, yours and others. After The Rain plays with experiments and classic music with a simple and tender piano. It’s a luminous song. But it’s A Lens To Find A Trace that closes it all, more measured yet as kind. It’s solid overall, harmonious, and reassuring although raising some concerning themes. If everything is about control, in A Trace To Keep Control Present Paradox dares let his art have it all.
