Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle, the English release of 2005's Jelängerjelieber, is Klee's second album, and by the looks of it the band has learned the ropes. This album finds Klee once again taking a stab at club music hopped up on indie sensibilities, which leaves listeners with 12 tracks (15 if you count the German versions) split between pulsating club singles and smart, synthy pop numbers. "Gold," the first single off the album, is similar to the sultry, breathy dance stuff that appeared on their previous album, Unverwundbar. But where songs like "Erinner Dich" crumbled a little under their own weight, "Gold" shimmers with a heavy disco backbeat and edgy guitars. Honeysuckle proves that Klee have learned a lot about making straight-up club music, but the most promise shows in the places where the songs dip into dreamy indie pop territory. "With You" abandons the electronic extras altogether, relying on meandering guitars and Suzie Kerstgens' breathy vocals alone. Of all the tracks, "With You" shows Klee at their best, and it'll be interesting to see if they continue in the same vein on their next release. "A Thousand Ways" is similarly promising, and the beauty of it is how Kerstgens, with her austere yet intimate vocals, steers the song away from overt sentimentality. It's apparent that Klee want to bring out some '80s influences on this album, and aside from "Our Movie" (which sounds uncannily like the Cure's "Just Like Heaven"), Honeysuckle manages for the most part to echo rather than copy its influences. Though this album isn't a huge step forward for Klee, it's certainly not a step in the wrong direction.