Sool is the fourth full-length solo release (following Stadtkind, Berlinette and Thrills) by the inimitable queen, Ellen Allien. Welcome once again to the Allien world: this one is subtle, mysterious, and minimal. Created in the deepest and darkest of Berlin's winters, 2007-2008, Sool is intended to be a valve, a loophole, a respite from the crazy summers into the introspection and hibernation of winter. This could easily be Allien's most intimate album yet: the sounds of everyday life and snatches of whispers reveal themselves with field-recorded closeness, the beats are as soft and as near as a heartbeat, ambient synth sounds are as long and spacious as an arm stretching across a couch, and everything is arranged in exactly the right place, as in a well-appointed parlor. But Sool also illustrates that minimal is not only meant for private moments, but also for the dancefloor. Some songs clang with an industrial aggression, others throb with a stark intensity, while still others gently coax you onto the floor just to break your heart, e.g. "Frieda," which features Allien's soft, skillful vocals. As Allien herself asks, "...what does minimal mean for me? Minimal is just there. Permuting that, shaping this kind of immediacy with my own hands -- that was close to my heart. A whiff of positive, but nevertheless abysmal energy creates room for the ears." So what exactly IS Sool? Sool is Allien's own personal creation -- a ghostly presence that resides within the objects and architecture of everyday life and everything that is within and surrounds her. Sool is an alluring portrait deep inside the most active parts of the brain and the quietest area of the heart.
01. Einsteigen 02. Caress 03. Bim 04. Sprung 05. Elphine 06. Zauber 07. Its 08. Ondu 09. Frieda 10. MM 11. Out
