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Consider a Look in this Looking Glass. Mar 12, 2010
The piece "Hall of Mirrors" by Kraftwerk on their album entitled Trans Europe Express is definitely interesting. After listening to it in its entirety enough times for any sane person, I would be lying if I did not say that the repetitive beat is stuck in my head. Whether or not this is a completely good or bad thing though, I am still unsure; the beat is catchy to say the least, and Kraftwerk does a very good job of layering different sounds as is often done with electronic and technosonic music. The song starts off with a very computer-sounding sound, almost reminiscent of those old space video games people used to play in arcades. This computer sound is carried throughout the entire piece, entering and exiting periodically through decrescendos and crescendos and in different pitches. This sound alone is electronic and computer-sounding enough to make any fan of early Elektronische Musik or Stockhausen proud.
Another sound is also introduced toward the beginning, which sounds similar to loud, booming, echoing footsteps through a desolate hall, which happens to be recorded through a microphone with low quality or a little bit of static. While this description may make this noise sound odd, and quite possibly unpleasant, it is actually one of the most effective aspects of the piece. When combined with the computer noise described above and other elements of the piece that I will touch upon later, not only is music created, not only is a song, but a feeling is created as well with an environment. This feeling of an environment being conveyed was what struck me most about this piece. Technosonic music is not always accepted with open minds and open arms, and many people may not enjoy the artists' appreciation of the idea of being abstract. However, no matter what someone's opinion may be of this type of music, anyone could appreciate how this song, like other technosonic pieces, uses music to create the appropriate environment that its "Hall of Mirrors" title calls for.
The last layer of beats and sounds in the song that helps to attribute to this creation of an environment (excluding the lyrics and voice) is the use of what sounds like a cross between a Hammond Organ and some variation of an electronic keyboard with an echo effect. This layer consisting of a few levels of different beats at different pitches is the part of this song that may indeed haunt you in your sleep. It is the catchy part that I mentioned earlier and also helps to create more of its melodic quality with its rhythm.
The last element of the song that I have failed to mention thus far that really pulls all the pieces together are the lyrics and the voice added. As with many electronic pieces, the lyrics are presented in a spoken, as opposed to a singing fashion. While some listeners may not find this to appeal to their taste, in my opinion, it helps the song progress leaps and bounds, and turns this already created environment, into a story. The spoken word helps create this eerie, almost empty feeling as similar variations of the lyric "Even the greatest stars, discover themselves in the looking glass" are repeated and changed. These words are dispersed between more lyrics describing a man's experiences in this hall of mirrors to tell the story of a progression of one man's--as well as society's--changing view of themselves through self-examination.
It is this idea of "The Hall of Mirrors" for which the song is aptly named that enables this self-examination for society, and ultimately self-alteration and change. Kraftwerk could have severely failed in tackling such a complex issue in one song, but they manage to pull together a piece that is entertaining, enlightening, and creative. However, while I would recommend buying, or at least listening to this song, I must say that as difficult as it may seem, if you don't like it the first time, consider listening to it again while paying more attention to the lyrics and trying to appreciate the little details. For instance, when the lyrics refer to distortion, the computer music gets louder and faster--more distorted. The piece does drag on a little , and it is in appreciating details like these that you will further enjoy it for its eight minute duration, and be less likely to deem this song too repetitious and appropriate of the title "Endless Endless," which is already taken by another song on Kraftwerk's album , Trans Europe Express.
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