CD Review: Land ÜBER - Weitblick

Written by Petra Whiteley Friday, 16 September 2011 11:48

Artist: Land ÜBER
Title: Weitblick
Genre: Jazz-Pop
Release Date: 23rd September 2011
Label: Artfullsounds

Album Review

LAND ÜBER is a duo of musicians who create (what I find inspiring) instrumental compositions of wonderment, romantic contemplations, jazz is prominent, but it reaches beyond that. Their second album is called ‘Weitblick’ - Vision - and they proclaim this as their “proper” CD. Certainly a better production and distribution helps - and in this case it should as their sound should be found by many!

‘Singt’ (‘Sing’) opens the album with what characterises them - superbly built atmosphere. Their composition although minimalistic create whole landscapes within their sound, the background of keys accentuated as if bells produce what feels like an alpine soundscape with saxophone giving it a reflective, melancholy mood, the whole feels solemn as the moments before the storm gathers. The air is heavy, the trees are silently shivering and the landscape folds its energy within itself. At once foreboding and at once soothing. Throughout the whole album there is the feeling, a paradox of both time passing and timelessness and not just in the third song ‘Zeitlos Sein’ (‘His Timelessness’). The preceding song ‘Der Berg’ (‘The Mountain’) has come from their experience in Switzerland as they found the Alps spreading before them as a profound inspiration, the composition as panoramic as the view must have been and transporting the listener under the feet of the giants.

The cello is as textured as the moving clouds. ‘Glück Bleibt’ (‘Luck stays’) is very jazzy expression of both hope and nostalgia. The saxophone has even bigger prominence of being a centrepiece, both subtle and powerful. Helbig, who plays it, makes his obvious skilfulness feel utterly effortless. ‘Verträumt’ (‘Dreamy’) fits the song truly well, lulling both to contemplation as it is to sleep with the hypnotic loops and arrangement. Following ‘Im Shatten’ (In The Shadows’) tears you out of that reverie, livelier, it evokes snapshot like life moving in front of you as if you were sitting in a cafe observing the comings and goings outside. ‘Sehnsucht’ (The Longing) is also a title suitable for the song; it’s beautifully romantic, wistful, open-hearted and fresh. Another version of ‘Glück Bleibt’ closes the album. That this track, featuring Holly Loose, is the only one with vocals is a brilliant touch, underlying especially the hope factor of the instrumental.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed their album, not just for what I have mentioned during the review, but also for their obvious love of what they’re doing, the way they become immersed in making their songs is contagious. Their music is wonderfully soothing, a soul-bath I would call it as somehow you emerge from it as if cleansed off the stresses of existence. I’m sure to come back to this and would recommend it heartily to anyone. You might love it even if you hate jazz!


Tracklist

Singt – 6.44 (Sing)
Der Berg – 5.19 (The Mountain)
Zeitlos Sein - 4.49 (Be Timeless)
Glück Bleibt - 5.31 (Luck stays)
Verträumt - 11.20 (Dreamy)
Im Schatten - 8.07 (In The Shadows)
Sehnsucht - 8.16 (The Longing)
Glück Bleibt (Feat.Holly Loose) -6.21


Line-up

Benni Gerlach (stage name, Benni Cellini) - E-Cello
Karl Helbig – Saxophone


Websites

http://www.myspace.com/landuber


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10