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JUNGKÖTTER
Fabian Altstötter is not a blank slate. The artist, who comes from Landau, founded the band Sizarr with his friends Philipp Huelsenbeck and Marc Ubel in his early youth, which released two successful and critically acclaimed albums. Sizarr's sound was youthful, even if they showed an enthusiastic knowledge of pop history as well as that aesthetics of melancholy that perhaps belied the young age of the musicians. Now a few years have passed, after stations in Mannheim and Leipzig Altstötter lives in Berlin. The clothes have lost color, the coats have become longer, the skin is stung by morbid fantasies. A change takes place, old stötter becomes young stötter. The melancholy is still there, and a mature narrator has emerged from the cocoon of the young singer. Jungstötter is now presenting his first album. LOVE IS will be published by Pias in spring 2019. It has become a rollercoaster ride, the car, lined with velvet, approaches abyss after abyss. Unlike Sizarr, the ten tracks on LOVE IS rely on just a few instruments, their playfulness emancipates itself without much pomp. While working on the songs, they became more and more reduced musically, forming a sculpture that is not lacking in decoration, but finds its body, its facial expressions, its expression without great effects. At the same time, and this marks a very special note, it is afflicted with a strangely introverted pathos that does not yell, does not proceed in a striking manner - but reaches out for its listeners thoughtfully and almost tenderly.
The references lie in a romantic sphere. Between the heaviness of Bad Seeds, the pain of Tuxedomoons, Scott Walker's nightmarish song landscapes, the intensity of Neil Young and the tenderness of Marc Hollis, Jungstötter finds his way to music that builds its own house alongside the legacy of the musicians mentioned. The sparse rooms there are lit by the glow of flickering candles. Jungstötter has now moved into this house with his young band and is gradually furnishing it. However, the pieces are not dependent on the group, Jungstötter plays them alone at the piano or with a band, depending on the occasion. We follow, one way or another: Into the depths.
ALBERTINE SARGES
After numerous artistic collaborations with Italian synthwave band Itaca, Holly Herndon and Kat Frankie, Albertine Sarges has assembled a new band: The Sticky Fingers. The self-titled album The Sticky Fingers was released on January 29th by Moshi Moshi Records in London and was promptly voted BBC6 Music Album Of The Day. Albertine grew up in post-Wende Kreuzberg and recorded her album in Neukölln - and from here her themes range from feminist theory, bisexuality and gender stereotypes to mental health. She explores these themes with a playful and chameleon-like visage: Viv-Albertine-inspired post-punk and kaleidoscopic dream-pop to raw guitars and vocal acrobatics reminiscent of Tune-Yards.
"There's definitely a bipolarity, even in the songs themselves," she says. "My music can be unpredictable, but that's just my nature! It has a sense of freedom that seems to reach my audience. It's a place without fear. A safe space that I'm incredibly proud to host."< br />
This Safe Space is the result of a journey that has lasted almost 15 years. Albertine began writing acoustic folk music in her twenties. However, her life changed when her father passed away after a long illness and she struggled with depression which - coupled with multiple vocal cord infections - eroded her confidence in making music. It was only with her alter ego in the form of the cheerful Italian diva Ossi Viola and the synth duo Itaca that she began to find her creative expression again. An opening gradually took place: she played keyboards for Kat Frankie, collaborated with Colin Self and joined Holly Herndon as part of the experimental musician's vocal ensemble. This was followed by regular contributions to zines from Berlin and collaborations with local musicians, with a dedication that for years seemed unattainable for her.
The sessions sum up Albertine Sarges and her approach to creativity well: she is an artist who has retained her sense of humor and is careful not to take herself too seriously. But their music is also a platform to explore themselves and contribute to the broader societal discourse. Kicking off is the Slits-esque new wave track Free Today, with a quote from feminist writer Sara Ahmed on the relevance of the theory. Albertine uses this quote to imply the importance of pop music in social discourse.
"I decided to start the album like this because I think it's more important than ever to read," she says. "We need to read and delve deep beyond social media, which is not conducive to in-depth study. We need to fight for our attention spans and provide ourselves with real input."
The Sticky Fingers is an album that doesn't want to be listened to casually. A work full of twists and turns, emotional highs and lows and lyrics that are close to the reality of their author and yet so universal that they can create connections on a much broader level - a hallmark of good pop music.
+ YOUNG DEAD
+ ALBERTINE SARGES
Box office: 24 €