Post-punk artist Vlimmer releases the conceptual EPs “XIIIIII / XIIIIIII” (16 & 17)

The eternal struggle for the meaning of life is almost coming to an end: In November 2015, Vlimmer released the first two parts of an  18-EP instalment that tells the story of a young man trying to find  out why he is the damaged person he is. After returning from a  disastrous travel back in time he manages to return to the present  with a dysfunctional mind. On part 16 (”XIIIIII”) it appears as if the  protagonist commits a midnight murder on a jogger, eventually  stealing his keys and entering his luxurious top floor apartment  where he finally faints. While part 17 “XIIIIIII” depicts an unnerving  fever dream where he gets arrested, tried for murder and convicted.  It’s a terrifying turmoil where settings blend into one another. The  man finds himself on a cot, in a hospital, still at court or in jail. He  sees through his own eyes and, at the same time, sees himself  through the eyes of people who surround him while he’s convinced  that he’s waiting for his beheading. 

While Vlimmer’s lamenting signature post-punk/dreamwave is  evident from the start (“Perplexität”), on “XIIIIII” (16) the  instrumentation offers more aggressive moments of angst scapes  (the dystopic “Schwanenhals”, the tunnel of terror on “Taubheit”) to  the harshly distorted, noisy shoegaze closer, “Kopfkante”, which is  about the murder taking place. In between you find Vlimmer’s  perhaps best track, the dramatic “Lebenswert” – a motoric, skeletal  indie/wave rocker based on a washed out flute loop. 

“XIIIIIII” (17) takes a different direction, opening with two minimal  pieces that are in the vein of downtempo darkwave and nocturnal  ambient. “Falter” then picks up speed, and “Insekto” is this EP’s  uptempo outbreak switching from psychedelic kraut arpeggios to  haunting goth zithers which are disrupted by noisy eruptions. On the  depressive “Farbenquell”, finally, colours of all kinds splatter out of  the protagonist’s open neck’s stump. Is it over? Not just yet.   

You can listen to the album here:
https://blackjackilluministrecords.bandcamp.com/album/xiiiiii-xiiiiiii-16-17