Again and again there are great musicians who are not caught by the radar. The Heidelberg electronics engineer Michael Brückner is one of them. Together with drummer Tommy Betzler he follows the traces of the classical Berlin school with "Triplet".
Damn it, couldn't you try a new edition of Sonic Youth with bassist Debbie Googe? Or is it really only possible with Kim Gordon? This question comes up at least with the second album of the Thurston Moore Band, which reminds more than ever of the guitar strands of Sonic Youth.
In times of terror, isolation and populist agitation, signs of international understanding, hope, compassion and humanity are all the more important. "The Night Siren" is such a sign. The 25th solo album of the former Genesis guitarist deals with the consequences of war and the hardships of expulsions. At the same time it brings together musicians from different cultural backgrounds.
Why do people make each other's lives hell? Why is human existence an absurd comedy? These questions are examined from different perspectives on "Pure Comedy", the third album by Father John Misty alias Josh Tillman. In return, the former Fleet Foxes drummer fuses autobiographical stories, allusions to ancient myths, and witty, biting comments on the socio-political situation in the USA.
20 studio albums in 49 years - whether this is the end of the journey, the musicians themselves are still unclear. "We all enjoyed the recording sessions with Bob Ezrin very much," keyboardist Don Airey says, drawing attention to a fact that this album radiates. It's a feel-good album.
His name is as eccentric as his music: the Finnish four-piece Kairon; IRSE! takes us on its second longplayer ("Usubasajuba" was only uploaded at Bandcamp) on a cuddly journey back in time to the 1960s and 70s. Similar to Needlepoint two years ago, they revive the good old Canterbury time and give it fresh impetus with modern style elements.
It's been 15 years since Sun Kil Moon in San Francisco emerged from the Red House Painters. Night eight albums under their own logo and others in collaborations, the variable collective around Mark Kozelek has presented their most impressive work to date with the new double album. In a similar way to Nick Cave, the Tindersticks or Kurt Wagner on their latest records, singer Mark Kozelek shifts to a kind of prose singing that scratches past the spoken word performance by a hair's breadth.
When Stephin Merritt announced the album "69 Love Songs" under his project name The Magnetic Fields in 1999, many initially thought it was a publicity stunt. In fact, the record proved to be a masterpiece of subtle song. Peter Gabriel even covered "The Book Of Love". Now Merritt, who has just turned 50, takes the next big blow.
