Bohren & Der Club of Gore – Dolores (2xLP, Dark Green Vinyl)

Bohren & der Club of Gore's Dolores arrived in 2008 as the German group's sixth album, refining the glacial, nocturnal style they had developed after emerging from the Ruhr hardcore and metal scene in the 1990s. Across ten instrumentals and just under an hour, the quartet slows jazz to an eerie crawl: brushed drums, deep bass, softly glowing Rhodes and organ, and spare saxophone lines create music that feels patient, intimate, and faintly cinematic rather than showy.

What makes Dolores especially compelling is how much detail Bohren pull from such reduced means. Contemporary reviews noted that it stayed true to their late-night atmosphere while hinting at a gentler turn, and AllMusic heard moments that suggested “a new musical dawn.” The lineup here is central to that balance: Christoph Clöser colours the album with baritone and tenor sax, Rhodes, and vibraphone, while Morten Gass, Robin Rodenberg, and Thorsten Benning keep everything suspended in near-stillness. Tracks such as “Staub” and “Welten” show how the band could make minimal movement feel rich, heavy, and strangely welcoming.

This edition brings back an album often treated as one of the more approachable entries in the Bohren catalogue without blunting its mood. If Black Earth is the deep end, Dolores offers a slightly clearer way into their world: austere, melancholy, and beautifully controlled.

Features

• 2xLP, Dark Dark Green Vinyl
• Gatefold cover

Reviews

• they're strangely affectionate, too, a quality brought to the fore on Dolores - Pitchfork