Routines versus routine(s). When Bohren call, it’s already happened. Two World Cups and Olympic Games may have come and gone, but Bohren’s arrival on the scene heralds a flanking manoeuvre, time to dive into a new information stream. And because Bohren are, well, Bohren, at least half of the regular rhetorical devices (reinventing themselves; who would have thought: outrageous career move) can be tossed out of the window. No, this is not a case of when all else fails, revert to repetition. In Bohren’s world, squaring the circle looks more like this: what do you do when your band has crafted such a uniquely unmistakable signature sound and the aim is to maintain things at this superlative level without repeating yourselves? The solution can be found in attitude and, by extension, graft. Studio work. Persistence. Revision. Meticulous attention to detail. Precision. Assiduous arrangements. Experimental orchestration with restricted instrumentation. Vocals perhaps? How about a Warlock cover sung by Mike Patton? A radical shift in style is not in the Bohren playbook – as luck would have it, should we say?
Whatever is ultimately released into the public realm must pass the trio’s most compelling, highly sensitive stress tests. If you are hoping for “Bohren go Country” or “Bohren play 20 Jazz-Funk Greats” … don’t hold your breath.
