Title: Gestrandet
Artist: Leichtmatrose
Genre: Electro Pop
Release Date: 15th April 2009
Label: Ferryhouse (Warner)
Album Review
With its preceding single ‘Sexi ist tot’, the German project LEICHTMATROSE gained a lot of laurels already and now casts off with its first full-length debut ‘Gestrandet’ with the aim to lead German pop to new horizons.
With ‘Herztransplantation’, LEICHTMATROSE starts the journey and coated in minor synthetic and organic chords describes the soreness and the thoughts running through your head when your lovesick to dive with the next song ‘In Warheit gelogen’ into a life scarred by tragedy. One of far too many destroyed existences which exist all around us but we don’t or just don’t want to see them. Instrumentally the song relies on a basic and slow drum section complemented by ringing guitars and occasionally synth melodies. With the title track we’re exploring yearning territory with an eclectic melodic braiding of strings, piano touches and sustained layers gently carried by elaborately programmed, discreet rhythm loops. Also the driving ‘Sexi ist tot’ addresses the very serious subject matter of anorexia by which mostly women and unfortunately even young girls are affected by with wit and lots of precisely executed word play.
The groovy ‘Studentenfutter’ which is as well tainted with sort of an airy, fluffy feeling turns out as a sarcastic and not necessarily politically correct payoff amongst others with the superficial state of mind of students. The next tune turns towards a topic that not only in Germany is late-breaking: Amok runs! In this case the song sheds light on the tough childhood and life of a young man which eventually leads to this terrifying burst of violence. A much more differentiated perspective on the topic and the causes than most news magazines have nowadays when it comes to this. With the melancholic and much too short ‘Der letzte Zug’ LEICHTMATROSE waves goodbye to us and is also giving us the following sentence to take along “I’m smoking to pass away earlier”
Frankly, the cover of the record when I first saw it gave rise to doubts that the music contained on this disc would be something I would want to listen to but how do they say. Don’t judge a book by its cover and they’re right for this album is an oasis of trenchant word play and thoughtful lyrics coated in catchy, poppy but not one dimensional sounds and everyone who’s something going spare for such a mixture should give this record a good and long listen
Tracklist
01. Herztransplantation - 4:43
02. In Wahrheit gelogen - 3:52
03. Gestrandet - 5:01
04. Sexi ist tot - 4:44
05. Der einsame Astronaut - 6:03
06. Der Mond trägt ein trauriges Gesicht - 2:42
07. Studentenfutter - 5:07
08. Junge von nebenan - 4:30
09. Vom Esel im Gallopp verloren - 4:43
10. Himmelfahrt - 5:29
11. Leichtmatrosen haben's schwer - 4:27
12. Der letzte Zug - 2:19
Line-up
Andreas Stitz – Arrangements, Lyrics, Vocals
Dorian E – Backing Vocals
Kay Lehmkuhl - Guitar
Jan Richter - Guitar
Carsten Klick - Drumprogramming
Website
http://www.leichtmatrose.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/derleichtmatrose
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
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