It’s been 35 years since German post-punk pioneers Xmal Deutschland’s last album, but Codes (Sacred Bones), the comeback of singer/frontwoman Anja Huwe, is fresh and thrilling. Proudly dramatic, and often using bilingual spoken-word techniques, it couples the cinematic electronica of collaborator Mona Mur (which sometimes echoes compatriots Propaganda) with propulsive rock which, with fellow Xmal graduate Manuela Rickers on guitar, will gratify fans of that band. Huwe has worked as a visual artist for some time, and Codes, which demands full attention from start to finish, is a big bold personal statement about survival, colouring its canvas with passion and class.
Michigan maverick John Grant’s solo albums, not to mention team-ups such as Creep Show, have been so consistently excellent that there’s a danger he might now be taken for…
You're reading a preview of
Prog Italia (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 150