With his project Robin and the Modest, Tobi Vogel presents a cinematic experience through the music. His pacing, dynamics, sonic architecture, textures and arrangements suggest a kind of narrative structure and mood. The project’s 2017 debut Eftychia set a high bar for instrumental rock/post-rock but the new album Playground makes good on that promise including the single “Synthie aus Marzahn.” With minimalist synth arpeggiation in the beginning the song quickly segues into haunting atmospherics giving the impression of some kind of unusual thriller plot taking place in a late night cosmopolitan city on the platform of a rail line. The vocal samples make you think of the kind of movie where a passive observer coming from or going to their job is drawn into a drama involving international intrigue and high tech crime. Every song on the album tells a different story but all employ evocative composition to set vivid scenes without explicit use of language. The titles give hints with neologisms like “Raketenfaust” (“Faust Rocket”) and phrases like “Kaltes Herz” (“Cold Hearts”) but even these suggestions pale in comparison to the aural journeys through which Vogel takes us on Playground. Listen to “Synthie aus Marzahn” below and follow Robin and the Modest at the links provided.
Playground by Robin and the Modest
soundcloud.com/robinandthemodest
open.spotify.com/artist/0cvjYUOxgAKoFEHvBVXvwZ
robinandthemodest.bandcamp.com/releases
facebook.com/robinandthemodest
instagram.com/robinandthemodest
Queen City Sounds and Art 
You must be logged in to post a comment.