Release handbrake!

anfang august. Those, who haven’t been snatched away by the summerly wanderlust yet, can pack fast and should start out straight away. Otherwise the wailing is huge. ende september.

Since 2011 menkenkes’ unwieldy muse sorts the travel rhythms from left to right, abandons bass riffs and rustles full of promise in crinkled score maps, especially on Dresden-Neustadt based backyard stages, in coffee kitchens and second rate rehearsal room arrangements. The heard sounded always sophisticated but never too intellectual, at worst a little technical. But grabbing bags all needs to be trained.

And now finally the decision, the breakup: An album, recorded quasi overnight, when check lists, fault-finder and top producer sleep. Thus escaping forward, handbrake released and handluggage only: A bunch of broke, a fistfull of wire brush chords, a cup of dreamy speckles, the bass unleashed during walking, the drums dashed downstairs with rumble, outside in front of the door after all everything spontaneously and happily exaled with a deep sigh.

Based on this impulse „anfang august ende september” brings off a rare balancing act: polished-unwieldy, convincing bulkiness and yearning chord spots fire each other with many small surprises in the arrangement and places this record and its listeners in a natural-looking escape movement. Most impressive of the album is, how organic this ambivalence gathers speed and how obvious a look is deigned between the rough accelarations into the open heart, the deep blue sea or to the flashed by firmament. Not at least the songtitles breathe wanderlust themselves. For a potential soundtrack to it from menkenkes you not get any cheesy ethno kitsch, any hammock junk, any hostel slush or bubblegum-sunsets. Instead you save your honest soul on the clattering footboard of the last train southwards. And speeding at 200 kilometres per hour you stick your head out of the window together with the band. The smile which is written in your face by the airstream persists far beyond ende september. (text: Norbert Seidel, translated from German)