Karl Bartos – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Karl Bartos – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:15:48 minutes | 629 MB | Genre: Electronic
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Bureau B

Karl Bartos joined Kraftwerk during their Autobahn tour and played a crucial role in the band as they laid the groundwork for synth pop, electro, and techno. He helped write many of the group’s most iconic and best-loved songs, including “The Model,” “Computer Love,” and “Metropolis,” a haunting tune inspired by Fritz Lang’s 1927 dystopian classic of the same name. Decades after leaving the band and sporadically issuing efforts ranging from Kraftwerk-style electropop to guitar-driven pop-rock (as Elektric Music), Bartos decided to compose a score for another key work of the German Expressionist cinema movement, Robert Wiene’s 1920 horror touchstone The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Telling the tale of a respected yet mad hypnotist who drives a somnambulist to commit murders, the dark, visually striking film is often interpreted as a commentary on German society’s obedience to authority. Bartos’ 75-minute score is obviously meant to be heard while watching the film itself (it’s in the public domain, so it’s easy to view online for free), so that all of the tracks sync up with the corresponding scenes. As such, the track titles generally spell out the moods of the individual pieces. Both parts of “At the Funfair” sound like playful circus music, the “Scary Memories” are appropriately spooky, tracks like “Arrest of the Suspect” and “Interrogation” are tense and suspicious, “Cesare’s Attack and Escape” gets dramatic and alarming, and so forth. It all fits the film to a tee, and makes for a riveting audio-visual experience. Unfortunately, when listened to on its own, most of the score is indistinguishable from the type of generic background music heard on any number of children’s programs on public television, as it largely consists of preset keyboard tones and simplistic melodies. Yet there are moments that stand out, like the buzzy synths and excited crowd chatter of the “Funfair” tracks, and the hypnotic, post-minimalist rhythms and choral arpeggios of “Lunatic Asylum” and the title theme. Bartos’ score to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a treat for film buffs, but most Kraftwerk fans will likely find it underwhelming. – Paul Simpson

Tracklist:
1-1. Karl Bartos – Prologue (01:32)
1-2. Karl Bartos – Scary Memories (02:21)
1-3. Karl Bartos – Atonal Floating (01:02)
1-4. Karl Bartos – Full of Life (01:57)
1-5. Karl Bartos – In the Town Hall (02:55)
1-6. Karl Bartos – At the Funfair (02:42)
1-7. Karl Bartos – A Mysterious Crime (01:09)
1-8. Karl Bartos – At the Funfair 2 (02:56)
1-9. Karl Bartos – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (05:15)
1-10. Karl Bartos – Jane’s Theme (00:51)
1-11. Karl Bartos – March Grotesque 2 (00:27)
1-12. Karl Bartos – Jane’s Theme 2 (01:11)
1-13. Karl Bartos – Shadows (00:36)
1-14. Karl Bartos – Tragic Message (02:19)
1-15. Karl Bartos – Suspicion (02:11)
1-16. Karl Bartos – Tragic Message 2 (01:17)
1-17. Karl Bartos – The Plan (00:56)
1-18. Karl Bartos – A Dark Figure (00:28)
1-19. Karl Bartos – Caligari’s Theme (01:16)
1-20. Karl Bartos – Arrest of the Suspect (00:56)
1-21. Karl Bartos – Caligari’s Theme 2 (01:44)
1-22. Karl Bartos – Worried Jane (00:44)
1-23. Karl Bartos – Interrogation (01:24)
1-24. Karl Bartos – Jane’s Fear (03:35)
1-25. Karl Bartos – Francis’s Observation (00:45)
1-26. Karl Bartos – Cesare’s Attack and Escape (04:31)
1-27. Karl Bartos – Safe and Sound (01:31)
1-28. Karl Bartos – Francis at a Loss (01:39)
1-29. Karl Bartos – Caligari’s Deception (02:18)
1-30. Karl Bartos – Lunatic Asylum (03:08)
1-31. Karl Bartos – In Search of the Truth (07:54)
1-32. Karl Bartos – Out in the Field (02:37)
1-33. Karl Bartos – The Director Rants and Rages (02:13)
1-34. Karl Bartos – Scary Memories 2 (00:55)
1-35. Karl Bartos – Who’s Mad Here (02:34)
1-36. Karl Bartos – Francis Rants and Rages (02:10)
1-37. Karl Bartos – Epilogue (01:32)

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