Articles
2007 Top 10s and 20s
2007 Artist Picks
Meissner Interview

Albums
7 Hertz
Aarktica
Alka
Axiotronic
Dale Berning
BJNilsen & Z'ev
John Callaghan
Cousin Lou
Dif:use
Disrupt
Domink Eulberg
Donna Regina
Eedl
Erstlaub
FF Burning & BC Motel
Fibla
Figurines
Fond Of Tigers
Freescha
Brian Grainger
Inhabitants
Klimek
Liquid Stranger
Low Res
Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia
Northern
Adam Pacione
Part Timer
Steve Peters
Phreakon
Pig & Dan
Pinch
Rechenzentrum
Sebastien Roux
Sciajno & English
The Seasons
Slow Dancing Society
Steinbrüchel
Talvekoidik
Translations
Ulver
Uusitalo
Tony Wilson 6Tet
Wilson/Lee/Bentley

Compilations/Mixes
15 Exitos Grandes
Steve Lawler
Pole
Sven Väth

3"/ 7"/ 10"/ 12"/ EPs
Ada
Alland Byallo
Formication
Tim Hecker
Hybernation
Karoshi Bros
Lilienweiss
Move D
Tor Lundvall
Shreber Harber Mole FW
Sun Electric
Amon Tobin
Gez Varley

Donna Regina: More
Karaoke Kalk

Though More is the tenth release from Donna Regina, the Cologne-based duo of Regina and Gunther Janssen, the forty-three-minute recording certainly sounds anything but tired or played-out. The group traffics in an appealing form of ethereal folk-electro-pop balladry that exudes a ‘60s-flavoured breeziness and subtle air of buoyancy and elation. Interestingly, many of the standouts feature acoustic and relatively unadorned arrangements, like “Shape My Day,” the Beatlesque (and too-short) “Good Morning Day,” “To Be Around,” and the predictably lovely closer “Dream On.” Subtle instrumental touches elevate the material too: the group spikes the syncopated, piano-led shuffle “Cry Baby” with a guitar's cry, adds vibes' sparkle to the title song, and the unusual sound of a tremolo organ to “Dream On.” The songs' hypnotic impact derives from the loop-based essence of the songs and, of course, Regina Janssen's trademark silken, breathy voice. If there's a downside to the group's sound, it's that the duo sometimes pushes that loop dimension to the limit of tolerability and that Regina 's emotive range is constrained by a delivery that can sometimes seem robotic.

Is More at the level of Late, the best of the past few years' Donna Regina releases? Not quite, though it's a more than credible outing. With the exception of “She's My Friend,” which mixes things up by injecting the Donna Regina sound with handclaps and a funky swing, and the nine-minute “Heart Oh Heart,” which adds a slightly spacey electronic dimension, More largely hews closely to the group's established sound, so anyone coming to the album hoping for a radical broadening of the group's sound or a re-invention may be disappointed.

January 2008