Ellen Allien – Thrills

Ellen Allien's THRILLS certainly does start with a thrill: the guitar and electronics roller-coaster of "Come," which hints at the new direction of this album nicely. While BERLINETTE seemed much more club-friendly, THRILLS harkens more towards industrial music than its predecessor. The overall effect is denser, more grimy, even on "Your Body Is My Body," where the melody is obscured beneath layers of hiss and sound. Even when the melody comes to the forefront, like on "Naked Rain," the sound is intentionally muddled, giving the track a hazy feel. Still, the industrial feel isn't the only mood to the album: there's some funky breaks on "Down," and "Ghost Train" has a smooth drive to it, which helps it stand out. Some of the brightness does sneak into "She Is With Me," and the album ends on the pure techno vibe of "Magma." A thrilling ride from end to end.