Kissogram - Nothing Sir Vinyl LP

"Nothing, Sir!"...

... is the second full-length album by Jonas Poppe & Sebastian Dassé, also known as Kissogram.

"Nothing, Sir!" maintains the stylistic and instrumental versatility of its predecessor, "The Secret Life of Captain Ferber", while maintaining homogeneity through the continuity of rhythm (partially real drums played by "Die Sterne" drummer Christoph Leich, mostly computer-generated beats) and certain recurring elements (such as a harpsichord). Kissogram incorporates elements from blues, punk, disco/electro, and even (not entirely ironically) flamenco or Far Eastern music ("Snow White in the Train"). There are also hints of swing elements or Kurt Weill in the mix, driven steadily by pulsating, energetic beats and heightened aggression. Vocally, "Nothing, Sir!" varies greatly. Jonas Poppe alternates between shouting and whispering or delivers nostalgically dark ballads with a slightly husky voice ("I'm the Morning After").

"Nothing, Sir!" is as new as it is unusual, making it difficult to compare the music to anything that has come before. Attempts to place Kissogram's music in the past have been made, such as "Bohemian Disco Wave" (Zurich Weekly), "Hungover melancholy electronic pop" (NME), and "Disco sound with sweaty rock'n'roll" (Tagesspiegel), but Kissogram, like most other bands, are reluctant to provide definitions.

In comparison to the previous album, Jonas Poppe has placed more emphasis on the lyrics, which have become more extensive.