Pieced together in Weilheim in Oberbayern, Bavaria and releasing on the Berlin-based Morr Music, Lali Puna’s long awaited fourth album (¡¡six years!!), Our Inventions, is finally here! This is indietronica at it’s best: memorable, yet without pungent after taste. Delicious!

The electronics-, synths-, mallet percussion-, and drum machine-filled Our Invention is very much based on the motif of repetition. But, it does not at all feel repetitive: it’s therapeutic. Like a mantra. Valerie Trebeljahr’s lyrics touches upon the future, technology, and even the financial crisis. The melodies are steady. With confidence, it drives continuously forward. Yet with caution, Trebeljahr’s lyrics buckles down and holds back any teenage bravado. They know what they are doing, they have taken control, and these are their inventions: “It’s all burnt down, we’re left alone/ We try to have some fun/ All by ourselves/ All alone”. Ok, I will stop rambling, now the juicy part! I had the chance to ask them (Valerie Trebeljahr and Markus Acher) a few questions:

Markus: I don’t remember the name of the city where Valerie was born [It’s Pusan] right, but I suggested Lali (

Valerie’s nickname) Puna as a band name. Like Lali from Puna. That stayed. It has no further meaning besides that.

Valerie: Nostalgia, no; self-reflection, yes. I’m not a nostalgic person. I just want to think about whether everything goes the right way these days. I don’t say that anything was better in the old days. I just say: The future doesn’t look too good right now.

Valerie: Our Inventions is less pushy than Faking the Books, right. We wanted to leave the guitars behind. In fact, I would have loved to go into the dance direction, so some of the songs on Our Invention were four-on-the-floor. But we didn’t succeed. So we decided to throw away the dancefloor bassdrums and the songs turned out to be a lot more quiet.

“Out There” is a song about the financial crisis, that’s right. You can read it as you like, but that was my thought when I wrote the lyrics. I always thought: “financial stuff–why does it interest me?” But after the crisis in 2008, everybody had to deal with it, and I was so angry that bills were paid, but of course, not from the people who’ve caused it.

Well, yes, other lyrics deals with the belief in technology, “modernity” if you can to call it. I think there’s quite a big change now. Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Our ways of communication has changed. It’s great, no questions about it–but you have to ask yourself if there are set backs, too. It’s worth thinking about; at least to me.

Valerie: To be honest, I didn’t really dare to ask if that song was dedicated to me. I am very happy to have worked with Yukihiro Takahashi! He always works with guests on his records. And for his latest album, his label just asked me if I wanted to work with him on two songs. We decided to include “Out There” as an alternate version on our album, too, because the song and the lyrics are very important to me.

Markus: The members other musical involvements have strong influences on the “Lali Puna Sound”. Everyone of us has a particular taste and preferences in music, and that’s true for all bands. But also, every band has a certain idea or concept and a special sound–an unique way to work, play, and arrange. Though there are similarities between all the member’s affiliated projects, we always try to keep them as unique and separate as possible. We also try to evolve with every differently, with different project, as much as possible.

Markus: kittens.

Valerie: very simple, they both look terrible.

Markus: noise.

Markus: Ithaca, Bruce Haack, White Noise, Margo Guryan, Hank Williams, Nina Simone, Carmen Maki, Yoko Ono…

Valerie: Yes, I really found out about her when mixing the record. Before that, I just know some film work by her. I read Hans Ulrich Obrist’s book about Yoko Ono — so everyone that still have prejudices about Ono should read it!

Check out their inventions:

[update: 12.04.2010]

check out the new album here: http://www.lalipuna.de/shop/