Dolores

The proverbial Bohren intro is followed by a gentle slide, an enduring, slowly swelling sound and the faint echo of an organ. Film music? Only after the first, long 46 seconds of "Staub" (English: Dust) does the drum beat finally make its mark on the acoustic flow, though it takes no toll on the tempo of the track, only to underscore it - unusually - in its slowness. There's not a shadow of doubt: this is pure Bohren, brewed and bottled in Bohren country, the new 2008 album with the surprising name, Dolores.

Bohren's habit of making music which often makes the listener feel like he or she is stuck in some dark room in which the oxygen is slowly and mercilessly being extracted has changed with Dolores. When listening to Dolores, listeners are sure to get feeling that - after all these years - the shutters are being raised, the windows thrown open, fresh air and sunlight are flooding into the room. Quite by chance, the most natural thing in the world, cool, crisp and brazen.