Review
Nadja
Autopergamene

Nadja has certainly outdone themselves on this one; Autopergamene is an absolute artistic triumph in every way imaginable (the deluxe CD version of the release is in any case, and at the time of this little expose there is no vinyl version available) from the breathtaking packaging to the sheer volume of visual artwork to the beatific sounds laid to tape (the Deluxe version has 4 total CDs). This might be over aggrandizing this release, but Autopergamene is, if nothing else, a visual tour de force and an astounding artistic triumph that raises the bar for other artists to attempt to match or, at the very least, from which to gain some inspiration.

Knowing full well that instrumental music can be a difficult sell to most “pop” oriented music fans, there is a case to be made for the sometimes otherworldly music and states that Nadja may at times provide and take a listener to while absorbing or being absorbed into the atmospheric ephemera that this duo lays down on record. I get it (the whole idea behind listening to a ten, a twenty, maybe an hour plus long track takes patience and a long attention span), and the fact that a ton of people will not appreciate such artistic vehicles does not surprise me in the least (particularly in this modern world of television and video game induced ADD); but for those that want more than sex, booze, drugs, rock and roll / shake your booty workouts / cool jams, sex, and more sex in their music, than Nadja is waiting out there for people to stumble onto them (much like I did).

That being said, Nadja’s Autopergamene is an absolutely fine example of mellow music that can allow a person to completely zone out while spinning the sucker, and while I would not want to hamper the record with a negative tag (because I do not consider it as such), the album is equally excellent to “ignore” as it plays while people work (I find that it helps me concentrate on the task at hand a great deal).

For the Nadja obsessed throngs that do exist, let me just say that I feel for you; no, I really do (since, you know, I am kind of one of you) if only because the amount and frequency of new records that this duo releases are absolutely insane. Rest assured that Autopergamene is not just another Nadja record, though, if you are looking for another Bodycage, you will be sorely disappointed as this album continues in the vein of the more mellow (with exception to at times face melting nature of “You Write My Name In Your Head” when it is played at high volumes) direction that the duo can traverse at times and has of late. What I find the most appealing about the three musical numbers that comprise Autopergamene proper (the extra CDs contain remixes, a live set, and a 5.1 mix of the album proper), is the manner with which I can get absorbed in the record as it plays, to the point where I no longer care how long it has been playing.

Autopergamene may very well go down as one hell of a feather in the hat type release in the terms of packaging and presentation of the release, and the music that this visual representation accompanies is quality droning ambient material that is quite excellent. Still, long time Nadja obsessives may find themselves asking if this album is the sound of the duo treading water; and while I am not one of those fans (there is a great deal of enjoyment that I find when listening to the record), that conversation continues to take place.