Aktion	Zweigstelle	Standorte	Status	Frist	Vorbestellungen
Vorbestellen	Zweigstelle: 17., Hormayrg. 2	Standorte: CD.09 Nico / 70er	Status: Verfügbar	Frist:	Vorbestellungen: 0

Having previously enjoyed nico's work with the velvet underground and her solo debut, chelsea girl, this reissue of two of her later albums (the marble index and desertshore) came as something of a surprise. it is considerably less accessible than either of the above; john cale's experimental arrangements combined with nico's gloomy vocals initially create quite an unsettling atmosphere. however, despite the unusal instrumentation (mostly harmonium and strings), this is far from being an unlistenable avant-garde experiment. beneath the dissonance lies true beauty, displaying nico's unique songwriting style. with each spin, the listener becomes aware of another beautiful snippet of melody, another haunting lyric or a subtle piece of instrumentation which previously went unnoticed. nico was taking vast amounts of heroin during the recording process; this is reflected in the dark and addictive nature of the music itself. it is relentlessly pessimistic, both musically and lyrically. the sound engineer is quoted in the liner notes that "the marble index isn't a record you listen to, it's a hole you fall into"; indeed, the music draws the listener in and consumes him entirely. this probably wouldn't be the record to put on at a dinner party; it is more suited for listening in solitude in a darkened room. it is a challenging record, no doubt. however, it is also one of the most original, beautiful and powerful collections i have heard in my life. M. Hann