Mondays, huh? Yeah, worst day of the week. That is, unless you’re retired or work from home then I guess there are no bad days of the week. Usually the only thing that makes a Monday better for me is a damn fine cup of coffee and new music. I had both of those today, in the form of a great cup of Sumatran and the other in the form of new music from German post-punk project Vlimmer.
Vlimmer is the musical project of German musician/songwriter Alexander Donat. He’s been putting out consistently amazing music for years now. Not only does he make icy, sleek post-punk and dark wave in Vlimmer, but he makes sunny and melancholy dream pop as Fir Cone Children. He covers all the sonic bases and they’re always absolute home runs.
Back on June 3rd Donat dropped a two-track single under the Vlimmer moniker in the form of “Kronzeuge”, with the b-side being a fantastic cover of Depeche Mode’s “It’s No Good” from their underrated 1997 album Ultra. “Kronzeuge” is a haunted kaleidoscope of post-punk chill and doomed romanticism. Donat sings over gorgeous synths and an almost industrial electronic beat. Cure-like bass permeates the track and the song as a whole has an underlying sense of longing and loss.
“It’s No Good” is put through the Vlimmer sonic machine and comes out with a touch more grit and grime, but with Depeche Mode’s singular vision still intact. Donat even translates the track in German, so we get this fantastic Deutschland cover of a British new wave/industrial pop staple.
So if you need to steer your Monday in any direction than where’s it’s currently heading, just hit up Vlimmer and the “Kronzeuge” single. Add a cup of dark roast for a little kick. You’ll be glad you did.
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