Title: Ich wär soweit
Artist: LalahGenre: Pop / Jazz / Electronic
Release Date: 6th February 2009
Label: Freibank
Album Review
“LALAH aka Dörte Benzinger is composer, singer, drummer and on good days a poet.” And so it’s no wonder her debut ‘Ich wär soweit’ is mainly self-produced and recorded by her. Her musical credits include performances on albums by PUNCH TB and HIPPIEHAUS. She played live on the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York, and as special guest at the legendary Friday Night Slam in Nuyorican.
I wouldn’t dare calling LALAH’s music “Easy Listening”. It’s easy to listen to it, has catchy melodies and all that stuff, but the devil’s in the details like so many times before. The opener ‘Sommernacht’ (Summer Night) samples dynamic yet slow motion play on the brushes, blends it with carefully infused electronics and unobtrusive field recordings. I mentioned sampling earlier; for the follow-up track ‘Nicht mehr verliebt’ hooks together a rhythm with them, clapping, everyday noises, a few chimes, and a guitar are ingredients. The best concerning this track is its groovy flow rousing the wish to move to it on your stool or wherever you are when listening to this record. Next track ‘Kaviar’ goes about a fisher’s wife having to cope with the fact her husband most likely is not coming back from his recent foray, and coinciding with that her “aversion” with the sea. The song, grounding on an electronic rhythm evokes the feeling of standing at the shores yourself, instead of the woman, tasting the salt on your lips.
Another track having the sea as lyrical theme is ‘All meine Liebe’ simulating with its organic instrumentation, the everlasting up and down of a raging sea under a clouded sky. Every element of the arrangement from the jazzy slow-mo rhythm, and chiming xylophones to the strings in the chorus, every element interacts with the other to make for just the right atmosphere. LALAH’s voice then is the well-known icing on the cake. ‘Ich wär soweit’ slowly scuffles forward, smooth brushes for another time add a jazz quality and an omnipresent xylophone melodeon like a golden threat permeates the track which seems enveloped by a curtain of crackling distortion.
Organic, edgy, melodic, catchy, all of which attributes applicable on LALAH’s debut ‘Ich wär soweit’, German lyrics, not drifting into cheesiness and a good voice are topping off the package, which is definitely a little gem.
Tracklist
01. Sommernacht – 3:59
02. Nicht mehr verliebt – 3:33
03. Gut – 3:37
04. Kaviar – 3:55
05. Große Stadt – 3:37
06. Mathematik – 3:27
07. Süßes Salz – 4:04
08. All meine Liebe – 3:56
09. Vergessen – 4:05
10. Zähmen – 4:42
11. Ich wär so weit – 4:10
12. Sanft – 4:46
Line-up
Dörte Benzner – All Instruments
Website
http://www.lalah.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/lalahmusic
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
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