DER PLAN - Es Ist Eine Fremde Und Seltsame Welt
"Bureau B present a reissue of Der Plan's Es Ist Eine Fremde Und Seltsame Welt, originally released in 1987. A cynic might propound the notion that to reissue an album entitled Es Ist Eine Fremde Und Seltsame Welt at this particular moment would be to hit the nail on the head with painful exactitude. No cynics here, however, only music lovers. Bureau B have already re-released four classic albums by Der Plan: Geri Reig (BB 104CD/LP), Normalette Surprise (BB 105CD/LP), Die letzte Rache (BB 129CD/LP), and Japlan (BB 130CD/LP).
Moritz R: I made the cover. My idea was for everything in the photo to be black, we even used embossed type so the entire cover was black. (editor's note: no embossed type on the reissue due to the cost, but our album price is undeniably attractive).
Pyrolator: The name of the album is simultaneously the concept. Numerous diverse pieces which illuminate the world in all its absurdity. The album title is lifted from the David Lynch movie Blue Velvet ("It's A Strange World"). The songs on the album were, for the most part, composed in a legendary session, improvisations really. We decided to play each piece in a different key and use irregular time signatures: for example, "Frisch Verliebt" is in 9/8, "Ein Moment Sind Zwei Sekunden" shifts between 6/8, 3/4 and 4/4, whilst "Ich Hab Den Jordan Gesehen" is in 6/8.
Moritz R: Der Plan was often seen as a fun, colorful, NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle) band and we wanted to counter that image by bringing our obscure roots to the fore.
What influences, musical or otherwise, shaped the production of EIEFUSW?
Moritz R: I couldn't name any influences at all. The record was very much of our own making. Obscure in the best sense of the word.
What were your expectations and how was the album ultimately received?
Moritz R: No expectations. We were still a band of obscure outsiders. But we knew full well what we were getting into with our weird music. Listening habits have come a long way since then and I hope that people will better understand or appreciate the record today." - Bureau B.