The Balanescu Quartet | Possessed

NOT ROCK
The Balanescu Quartet
Possessed
1992 | Mute Records
B+

In some ways, a string quartet tackling Kraftwerk songs seems like a relatively logical idea. Kraftwerk, and the krautrock movement they helped spawn, were heavily influenced by 20th century Classical music, especially Karlheinz Stockhausen. However, when you consider that the Balanescu Quartet has to attempt these songs without the driving, intense 4/4 drum beats known as “motorik” for its automobile-esque pulsing, explosive beats that more than anything else defined krautrock, the challenge grows considerably. Despite the lack of the steady backbeat, Alexander Balanescu and co. manage to transform 5 Kraftwerk tunes, along with 3 originals and a David Byrne composition, into a sublimely interesting and pleasant record.

What this record does for the Kraftwerk songs is reveals the classical underpinning and flips it to the forefront. Instead of the droning tones and backbeat getting the attention, the gorgeous melodies, usually obstructed, soar over the top of the arrangements. The covers blend in easily with Balanescu’s original tunes, all of which suggest a diverse musical pallet filtered down into the traditional quartet structure.

This is not the first nor the last time a classical ensemble has attempted to stretch its boundaries by taking music for the rock or electronica world (the Ensemble Modern’s take on Frank Zappa’s catalog and Alarm Will Sound tackling the music of Aphex Twin both spring to mind – and both albums will certainly be Not Rock features somewhere down the road), but what sets it apart is the feeling that Balanescu apart from this simply becoming a “pops” concert caught on record is that the quartet treats the work reverently, on par conceptually with their own material, and yet are confident enough to stretch the songs like silly putty over their instrumentation so that there is some real cohesion and attachment to the songs. And they do this, seemingly effortlessly, without breaking the confines of their rather rigid instrumentation.

In my days in college radio, I was at a gathering at the Mute Records offices where, like a buffet for the music addict, many of their records were laid out on a long conference table for the taking. A gentleman I had been chatting up ran over and grabbed the last copy of Possessed and handed it to me.

“Do you have this?” he asked.

“No, I’ve never heard of it,” I replied.

“Oh good, I’m so glad I grabbed this then. You need to hear this record.”

I’ve long since forgotten his name, but thank you slightly chubby college radio cohort. I don’t know if I needed to hear this record, but I am certainly glad I did.

by Brian Salvatore

http://www.balanescu.com/