After listening to Tse Tse a few times, you might find yourself wondering whether Niobe's Yvonne Cornelius hasn't departed to the other side. Much of the album momentarily assumes form only to dissolve once more in an instant, coalescing into a whole at the end. Piano, acoustic guitar, soulful horns and strings resound like film music. Against a wistful, melancholic, an abstract background that meanders in a continually arresting flux, the German-Venezuelan artist sings, whispers, coos, laughs and murmurs with a singularly cautious eloquence. The nostalgic glamor of the Ratpack is artfully deconstructed here. The sub-division of material into individual songs or tracks is scarcely perceptible on Tse Tse, a soft-sift through the listener's fingers. The album represents a further development of everything laid down in Niobe's Tomlab debut-- enchanting jazz vocal renditions, siren-like with apposite timbre; strange electronic effects and 8-bit sampling; narrative structures reminiscent of a radio play. A treasure trove of textured sound, rich in melody and harmonic phrasing. Cornelius was born in Frankfurt and has been living in Cologne since 1994. For over a decade she has developed a unique approach to electronic production, as well as a style of singing ranging from diva-esque acrobatics to comic excess. Concerts in Mexico City, at Berlin's Volksbuehne, and the Batofar in Paris have already exposed her to an international audience.

1. Prolog
2. Out Of Limbo
3. Good Old Owl
4. Black It Out
5. Tic Tac
6. Always Pointing Skywards
7. Sanoukiki
8. Little Things Of Frenzy
9. Virgin De Guadalupe
10. Nachtsendung