With wildly successful runs of their festival show under their belts, Die Roten Punkte’s Otto and Astrid Rot (aka Daniel Tobias and Clare Bartholomew) have produced a CD for their millions of adoring fans to devour with enthusiasm.
My first glance at the track listing had me assuming that this was a live recording of their festival show. It features all of the songs from the show and also lists numerous tracks of banter between Otto and Astrid. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn’t the case.
The disc is structured as if documenting the recording of the duo’s Best Of album with the only audience being the engineer Ben. It’s interesting to experience the characters in the setting of the studio rather than the stage as it tones down the characters somewhat. The interaction between the two is the same however it is not quite so over the top making them appear rather normal. A studio setting also gives them the opportunity to extend the material to include many references to the recording process which are quite amusing.
It sounds as if it was recorded in one take, although it is so professionally done that this may not be the reality. Although probably carefully scripted, the banter has a very improvised feel that retains the spirit of a live show. It’s not exactly a constant barrage of funny lines and tends to drag a little but there are enough amusing moments to keep you smiling. With the songs located at the start of the tracks, it’s easy to fast forward to the songs if you wish to skip the banter. The songs themselves are as brilliant as always, infectious to the point of staying in your head for days. The false starts, missed cues and their resultant arguments that feature heavily in the live performances are kept somewhat to a minimum, making the songs quite short and punchy
This CD seems to be geared toward people who have seen the stage show, with little to no background material devoted to the characters, so it’s probably not very effective as an introduction to the band. The majority of the dialogue is used to play up the bickering between the sibling and manages to add further depth to the their dysfunctional relationship. We are treated to several musings by Otto on his life which provides some interesting insight into the character. The sexual tension that was a significant portion of the stage show has taken a back seat, only briefly explored during the song “I Love You and It’s Normal”.
.This is a wonderful companion piece to the stage show that will keep those extremely catchy songs in your head for many years to come. It is a great document of the self proclaimed “Best Band In The World”.
“Die Roten Fahrten” is out now on Die Roten Records and is available at their gigs (along with badges!) and at independent music retailers around Melbourne. Check out Die Roten Punkte to make friends with them.