It seemed like one of the most unlikely musical partnerships of the year: German electro duo team up with Mancunian punk legend for crossover album - but Mouse on Mars and Mark E. Smith are no strangers when it comes to collaborations. The Von Sudenfed conjunction actually originated back in 2004, when the double A-side 12" 'Wipe That Sound/Cut the Grain' was given a limited release on independent German label Sonig, but it's taken three additional years for the trio to compose a full-length debut – mostly due to Smith's work with the resolutely dynamic Fall. What's perhaps most interesting, though, is that the eccentric Smith - a man renowned for his ultra-controlling demeanour and penchant for hiring and firing band members at the drop of a hat - has actually relinquished a certain degree of authority for once. Musically, Tromatic Reflexxions is more a Mouse on Mars album than it is a Fall album; but then again, without Smith's vocal and lyrical input, it wouldn't pack the same intuitively clever punch. Most of the twelve tracks here are heavy techo beats with the avant-garde edge that Mouse on Mars are renowned for; the dirty electro grime of Fledermaus Can't Get It builds to a euphoric-yet-cacophonous climax, and Family Feud is a warped, industrial Aphex Twin-style sci-fi f*ck-up, as is the caustic Serious Brainskin. There are more melodic musings on display, too, though - The Rhinohead has a touch of early New Order about it, The Young, The Faceless and the Codes sees St. Werner and Toma twist and entangle Smith's vocals with a kooky, heavy-disco anthem, while That Sound Wiped - a reworking of their first collusion - exhibits Smith's otherworldly talent for lyrical vitriol, as well as his simply innate coolness. There are a few surprises here and there on Tromatic Reflexxions, not least the gorgeous Afrobeat-tinged closer Dear Dead Friends, but overall it's pretty much what you'd expect when two quite different musical worlds collide - a loud, at times erratic and even hard-to-listen-to invention that may take a few listens to get your head 'round. The fact that both parties pull it off with aplomb, however, pays testament to their respective versatility.
