The sleek synchronised man-machine that is Kraftwerk has returned (at long last) with an album that celebrates the human power of the pedal. A celebration of man and machine and the endeavour that is the Tour De France.
Kraftwerk’s dilemma has been to remain Kraftwerk whilst moving on their ever refined, identifiable sound. Tour De France does that, the bluprint remains much as it was, the treated vocal, the stripped down rhythm, the minimal melodies. On first run through it seems singularly underwhelming, gliding by without ever really leaving any definite impression. However once internalised, to a degree, and listened to on headphones it begins to make much more sense.
The 12 tracks featured include four bearing the album title, and indeed the whole album runs as one extended track carrying the overall theme from one track to another with small variations for each segment. This both works for and against the album. As casual background music it glides by, as said earlier, without leaving any great impression but as a body of music, when focused on, it’s a much more satisfying experience.
There may be nothing here that is as memorable as ‘The Model’, a track that you could see, as it has been, covered by other artists. But ‘Elektro Kardiogram’ with its percussive heartbeat rhythm stands out on what will be an album that will divide the bands fans from the more casual listener.
Tour De France is a welcome return but not one that will have them leading a new wave. Like the sport of its title, it is a more specialist spectator spectacle for the most part, but one that has its own very passionate supporters.