Dogpop - one of the weirder things that I've taken for reviewing. I bought this CD without many questions when I saw this duo live in Vilnius and when Dogpop really brightened the evening. At first I'd like to mention the persons behind this project - it is Brigant Moloch from Anenzephalia, Genocide Organ and Daniel Hofmann from The Musick Wreckers (ex-Thorofon). And well, these two coryphaeuses of German power electronics combined their forces and made ... some hybrid of industrial and electro. About the style. I guess it's an open question for discussions and I may not be right, whether it's minimal or electro, or angst pop or something else, but I dissociate myself from such quarrels for I don't feel competent enough in this kind of music. Let it be. The fact is one, that this album is really nice stuff. Complete minimalism in structure - one unchanging rhythm throughout the song, one or more layers of computer sounds on top and sampled or effected vocal. This is the formula for most of the songs. I haven't heard the album that Dogpop released before so I cannot say anything about the change and compare these two, but "Live Without Band" sound rather "Thorofonic". This album is not joyful and cheerful dancing or careless nodding of head though. It is full of irony and in places it throws in rather dark colors, e.g. like in a song "Boredom and Agony" with monotonic rhythm, woman voice and silent noise, mixed with various bright synthetic sounds and samples. Overall there are 8 tracks and more than 40 minutes of listening material in the album. By the way, what is interesting, by the remark on the cover (I've managed to translate it...) here is the material, gathered from 1995 to 2006 years. Really pleasant "surprise" and great urban music or music for travels. It is not requiring much of an attention and really does not require focusing on the music and also does not scatter the attention. It would be really interesting to listen to newer material by Dogpop. I hope it'll be possible in near future.

Format: CDr
Released: 2007
Label: Zaetraom, UMB
Edition: 100