Ellington

Tarwater is the project of Berliners Bernd Jestram and Ronald Lippok [also in To Rococo Rot] whose primary output has been that of scoring motion pictures- in Germany at least. However, their proper music releases have proven utterly spellbinding in that they teeter on the edge between live instrumental pieces and electronica, with Jestram's detached vocals floating over the ambient soundscapes like a Teutonic Lou Reed. Their best albums, 1998's "Silur" and 2000's "Animals, Suns and Atoms," were at the forefront of a German music movement, the likes of which had not been seen since the heyday of krautrock. Their newest, "The Needle was Travelling," is similar to their last album [2002's "Dwellers on the Threshold"] in that there are several standout tracks surrounded by pleasant filler. This, in and of itself is not so bad, but considering their earlier efforts, one wishes that Tarwater could tap back into their previous fountain of musical genius.