Minty Fresh Double Feature: Klee & The Prototypes CD Reviews

Minty Fresh has given us such pop goodness as The Cardigans and Papas Fritas, and now we are looking to the future with Klee and The Prototypes. There's a lot to look foward to for Minty Fresh devotees, including a new Bettie Serveert release called Bare Stripped Naked, recent signees Suburban Kids With Biblical Names are working on a new album and preparing a tour, and Husky Rescue are touring, so catch their set at ACL.

Klee Honeysuckle

German pop has never sounded so gorgeous, thanks to Suzie Kerstgens' breathy, ethereal vocals and Sten Servaes' noteworthy work on the keyboards. Though Klee (named for modernist painter Paul Klee and the word's meaning in German, "clover") perform a handful of songs in English, the highlights are without a doubt those that feature Kerstegens' delicate delivery of her native tongue. Their sound is a little Stereolab, a little Broadcast, and in their most impressive moments, a bit of New Order as well.

"My Secret" is probably being played thousands of times a day on the streets of Berlin, and its thumping, addictive hook is sure to be a hit with hipster dancehalls stateside. Just when they've convinced you that they're an electro-pop dance hit factory, "My Room" begins, and you're pretty sure you're staring out a rainy window a la Five Leaves Left.

Honeysuckle covers a wide variety of moods and genres, and does so with charm and elegance, even when its grabbing your hand and dragging you out onto the dancefloor.

The Prototypes Self-titled

The Prototypes (Pro-tow-TEEP, they're French) play repetetive, jangly punk-influenced snot-rock in the vein of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Iggy Pop and The Raincoats. Isabelle LeDoussal can make you dance, make you cringe, and make you wet, and there's really nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.

The CD is a combination of 2004's Tout Le Monde Cherche Quelque Chose and Mutants Mediatiques, and combines hip-hop and 80's dance club beats with a generous helping of self-referential and pop culture doused lyrics effortlessly, delivering one of those albums that will have you humming all day long, itching for Friday night.

[Free Klee and Prototypes mp3s available at the Minty Fresh website.]