Apple Music Rank: 71
Album: Trans-Europe Express
Artist: Kraftwerk
Year: 1977
Genre: Electronic
Was I familiar with Kraftwerk? I knew of their reputation as pioneers in electronic music, but I had never heard their music that I’m aware of.
Had I heard Trans-Europe Express? No
Thoughts on Trans-Europe Express: This album makes me feel a very specific way. You don’t listen to it at the beach on a sunny day. You listen to this on an urban winter morning commute and everyone on your ride is wearing black like they came out of a Mike Myers “Sprockets” SNL sketch. Or maybe you’re in a snow-covered abandoned shipyard for some reason. This seems like the right soundtrack for that situation. Wherever you’re listening to it, it’s cold and industrial and there are unwelcoming commuter trains involved…and for some reason I’m picturing Popeye Doyle chasing a criminal.
To be honest, I was 100% certain I was going to hate this album and am pleasantly surprised that I do not. I do however, hate one aspect of it: The vocals. The deadpan delivery of phrases like, “Rendezvous on the Champs-Élysées,” feels too stereotypical to me. Probably because I assume this is the music that birthed all of the imitators and parodies. Kraftwerk couldn’t find someone who could actually sing? Or, just leave them as instrumentals? I would’ve dug this album so much more if there wasn’t some disinterested German dude mumbling nonsense.
I love the fact that this music – while sounding somewhat basic in 2025 – was pushing boundaries and making sounds nobody had ever dreamed of fifty years ago. It’s robotic and lifeless, and I mean that in the best way possible. I don’t know if that’s what Kraftwerk were going for, but I would imagine people in 1977 thought this music came from outer space. Not sure if any of my readers are fans of the Metroid video games, but they follow the adventures of a bounty hunter named Samus Aran as she battles hostile aliens on distant planets. I always thought those early Metroid games made the most out of the 8-bit music that was available to them. The electronic music was more effective in those games than most others because it reflected the loneliness the main character must’ve felt alone in space. Trans-Europe Express reminds me of that music.
One more note on Trans-Europe Express: I’ve actually listened to this album four times now trying to put my finger on exactly how this music makes me feel. It wasn’t until the third listening that I realized “Trans-Europe Express”, “Metal on Metal”, and “Abzug” are actually three different tracks. They all share the same beat and flow together. On the third listen I thought to myself, “Man, this is a long fucking song,” and kind of drifted off. Suddenly the album was over and I thought, “Wait, there should be like four more tracks left.” I was sure something malfunctioned with Apple Music. Turns out that “long fucking song” was three songs, and the two that end the album are actually quite short. Those three combined songs are long enough that you could probably ride a train across Europe and still have some song left over for you walk through the depot after.
Favorite track: I’m going with “Franz Schubert” and I’m going to go back to my Metroid comparison. “Franz Schubert” is the penultimate track on the album and flows straight into the brief final track “Endless Endless”. After a dark journey through most of Trans-Europe Express, “Franz Schubert” – while still electronic – sounds more upbeat. There are no creepy vocals. Just uplifting arpeggios. Like the darkness is behind us and there’s hope for the future. Like I just defeated Mother Brain and now I can get back in my spaceship and go somewhere far less depressing. This could actually be the post game credit music in one of the Metroid games for all I know.
Will I listen to Trans-Europe Express again? I probably will, but the situation will have to be exactly right. I’ll probably be in a car with someone and say, “You wanna hear some weird Euro shit from the 70s? Check this out.”
Would I buy it on vinyl? Yes, but only if I found it in a used rack for a couple bucks. I’m not dropping $30 on it.
To access more expert analysis of the Apple 100 Best Albums list click here.
mookiefantana 