BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Chronicler of the American (Alpine) Dream
In 1988 the band Prefab Sprout made it clear in their song "Cars And Girls" that life is about more than cars and girls - an obvious side blow to Bruce Springsteen and his supposedly limited view of the world. At the end of September the new Boss album "Magic" will be released. A welcome opportunity to look back on Springsteen's career and see what the man from New Jersey is really interested in.
THE FLOWER KINGS
The Workaholics of the Prog
They are reliable suppliers of complex, expansive rock music. The Flower Kings release their weighty albums almost every year. With their current opus "The Sum Of No Evil" the Swedish retroproggers once again celebrate the heroes of the seventies, love - and above all themselves.
MARK KNOPFLER
The gentle giant
On his new album "Kill To Get Crimson" Mark Knopfler presents himself very melancholic. At the same time he is more adventurous and active in his private life than ever before: he drives vintage car races, is interested in history and politics, is involved in charity projects and is thinking aloud about a comeback of the Dire Straits.
ELECTRIC ORANGE
Herb Disease
15 years ago keyboarder Dirk-Jan Müller founded the formation Electric Orange, two years later singer/guitarist Dirk Bittner joined. Together they steer the fate of the Aachen band, navigate between Triprock, Krautrock, Electronic, Trance and Psychedelic. The recently released album "Morbus" once again documents the timelessness of their music. On the outskirts of the Burg-Herzberg-Festival eclipsed spoke with the two Dirks.
KEVIN AYERS
Return with obstacles
The dead live longer. The last album of the British prog legend Kevin Ayers was eight years ago. The co-founder of Soft Machine, discoverer of Mike Oldfield and Lol Coxhill and former intimus of Syd Barrett was once one of the most reliable record suppliers on the British scene. But creativity doesn't work at the push of a button. His new album "Welcome To The Unfairground" is more than a strong return. It is at the same time the completion of a circle and a new beginning.
PJ HARVEY
enters the garden
Few figures on the international rock scene are as hard to grasp as the British singer, guitarist and songwriter PJ Harvey. Her songs have nothing to do with herself, is a central statement that she has been defending bravely for 17 years. In view of their new album "White Chalk" this affectionately maintained facade is crumbling.
40 YEARS TANGERINE DREAM
Bell Ringing and Generator Noise
At the end of our two-part feature on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Tangerine Dream, one of the few German formations that also caused a sensation abroad, we let Mr. Edgar Froese himself have his say. During the interview, the autocrat in the TD empire chatted out of the closet and shone with surreal wit.
NEW MODEL ARMY
"There is no war!"
They are something like the good conscience of British rock music. Since its foundation over 25 years ago, the New Model Army has instinctively resisted political and social grievances. But: Bandleader Justin Sullivan doesn't know anything about it.
eclipsed Shopping List: RUSH
A Hurrah to Friendship!
On the cover EP "Feedback" released in 2004, Rush once again showed where their musical roots lie: Bluesy, riff-oriented hard rock is the basic fuel of an unprecedented career of the Canadian formation, which has now lasted for over thirty years and is largely scandal-free. As a foretaste of the upcoming German shows, we present the ultimate Rush shopping list here.
AMY WINEHOUSE
crash on installments
Actually, she was supposed to appear as the supporting act for the Rolling Stones at the end of August. But as with her first solo tour in March, Amy Jade Winehouse also had to cancel these prestigious shows. Official reason: exhaustion. Which wouldn't come as a surprise in view of a one-year permanent burden from album promotion, club gigs and award ceremonies. In fact, the London woman, who turned 24 on 14 September, is exactly where she never wanted to be according to her hit "Rehab": in the addiction clinic..
KULA SHAKER
"I'm a dick, I'm a dictator!"
A good ten years have passed since a young British band brought exotic flair to the charts. In the style of a George Harrison manner, Crispian Mills and his three comrades-in-arms mixed traditional Indian sounds with the then hip Britpop. Fruits of this "forced marriage" were songs like "Tattva" and "Govinda", which turned out to be veritable hits. And none of the buyers bumped into the texts, which were mostly fed from Indian mantras - on the contrary, it was excitingly different.
