Moodier than most new wave revivalists, with a hearty dose of krautrock (which, duh, they're from Hamburg), Shatten has clearly found its form on its third album. These peppy songs are so sparsely produced that they sometimes sound like chamber pop more than anything else.

Shatten Gegenwart (Misitunes)

And yet, there is a feel of something much more going on. You don't have to speak German to understand what "Apokalypse" is going after, and despite the generally genial sound there is an oft-passing cloud of doom.

I suppose knowing what's actually being sung might be helpful, but the music does a pretty job of painting the picture of each song. Shatten conforms its vocals to the music, and the themes never quite fade to the background.

Some reviews have compared Shatten to American artists that don't make much sense to me, so I won't repeat them. But this is probably due to the disparate influences that populate this album. The center is nebulous, but dense enough to keep all of the musical ideas in orbit. Like I said, the band has found its form. Enjoy the ride.

Jon Worley