1.SMALLTAPE - One Day (4:39)
Album: The Hungry Heart (2CD) (2021)
Label/Distribution: acp-shop.com
www.smalltape.net
With the most compact song on "The Hungry Heart", Berlin's Philipp Nespital aka SMALLTAPE processes the topic "Global Warming". Now is the time to act. Steven Wilson influences are omnipresent on "One Day", great sentence vocals, voice samples and a crisp guitar solo round off the song. Album of the month 7/8-21!
2.TILLISON REINGOLD TIRANTI (-TRT-) - Mai Tornare (edit) (8:00)
Album: Allium: Una Storia (2021)
Label/Distribution: Reingold Rec./Just For Kicks
www.reingoldmusic.com
With "Allium: Una Storia" the trio TILLISON REINGOLD TIRANTI revives the golden years of Italo-Prog and mixes it all with a good portion of jazz rock and improvisation. The finesse-rich opener, which lasts 17 minutes on the album, is called "Mai Tornare", in German: "Never return"
3.ISILDURS BANE & PETER HAMMILL - In Disequilibrium, Pt.1 (single edit) (6:20)
Album: In Disequilibrium (2021)
Label/Distribution: Ataraxia/Just For Kicks
www.isildurs-bane.se
In 2019 ISILDURS BANE teamed up again with a great prog singer. After Steve Hogarth came PETER HAMMILL. The second strike: two great suites. Again the wacky mixture of chamber rock and prog is convincing. This time the artificial sounds are in the background compared to the aggressive tones. (Review follows in eclipsed 10/21)
4.JOHN MURRY - The Stars Are God's Bullet Holes (4:44)
Album: The Stars Are God's Bullet Holes (2021)
Label/Distribution: Submarine Cat/Cargo
www.johnmurry.com
On his third album, JOHN MURRY still delivers his typical folky alternative country tracks, but on the other hand, the 42-year-old also goes about his work in a very noisy and heavy way. The title track is a good example of this, as it sounds like a PJ Harvey song with a Nick Cave voice. Cool mixtureǃ
5.HOT'N'NASTY - Anyway The Wind Blows (3:09)
Album: Burn (2021) (Release: 09/03)
Label/Distribution: Sonic Revolution/Bob-Media
www.hot-n-nasty.de
For several years now, HOT'N'NASTY around Dortmund guitarist Malte Triebsch have earned themselves an outstanding reputation in the national blues rock scene. Their new album "Burn" starts with the slightly funky blues rocker "Anyway The Wind Blows" promising and full of energy
6.VERONIQUE GAYOT - Animal (4:40)
Album: Animal (2021)
Label/Distribution: Grand Cru/On Stage/In-Acoustics
www.veroniquegayot.com
Even if not everything on VERONIQUE GAYOT's album comes across as high class, it still contains some gems that show the artist's great potential. The title track is one such gem, with the Frenchwoman using her expressive voice in a great way. Animalic!
7.SUNTRIGGER - Liquid Time (live) (6:08)
Album: Instant Live (Lockdown Session 2020) (2021)
Label/Distribution: Timezone
www.suntrigger.de
The cinematic space hard rock of the Münster trio SUNTRIGGER lives from the groove. And when the band gets rolling like at their rehearsal live concert, the studio versions get another charisma. "Liquid Time" proves this thesis in a great way, as the song easily tops the studio version.
8.FINALLY GEORGE - Icy Skies (5:00)
Album: Icy Skies (2021) (Release: 09/10)
Label/Distribution: N.N.K./Just For Kicks
www.finallygeorge.com
On his second album, Hamburg's Georg Hahn alias FINALLY GEORGE has once again dedicated himself to song-compatible art rock. He needs no grand gestures, no long intros, no epic finale. His songwriting and the fine hand for calm moods and elegant melodies make the appeal of the album. (Review follows in eclipsed 10/21)
9.NEWMEN - Fordissimo (7:09)
Album: Futur II (LP) (2021)
Label/Distribution: FerryHouse/Rough Trade
www.newmenband.com
Frankfurt becomes Düsseldorf. The young band NEWMEN remembers the Düsseldorf school of electronic music and combines this with the synth pop of the eighties. A convincing combination. Even ex-Kraftwerk robot Wolfgang Flür joins in. The purely instrumental "Fordissimo" is therefore like Neu! reloaded.
10.HOELDERLIN - Waren wir (4:50)
Album: Hölderlins Traum (1972/2021)
Label/Distribution: Pilz/Breeze Music/Cargo
www.hoelderlin.com
It's the first track on HOELDERLIN's first album. Glass bead-like, deeply melancholic piano playing opens the round, front woman Nanny sings some depressing lyrical lines in German. But after a minute the action picks up, thanks to wild flute and raging tabla. A perfect hippie dream!
