Last of the batch.
Album: Live Im Roxy
Artist: Zehnder Kraah Trio
Genre: Avant-Garde Jazz
Suggested by: grindy
Familiarity: None.
1. Krahe - This is almost orchestral. Totally not what I was expecting. The vocals are absolutely excellent. Remind me of an opera singer. Oh, man. This guy is an awesome multitonal singer. The simple accompaniment is great as well.
2. Ane Dane - This one starts out very fun already. The way Zehnder uses his voice is awesome. Instrumentation is spot on. Not much else to say. It's a really interesting, engaging song.
3. Introrau - A bit of yodeling at the start here, mixed in the multitonal vocalizations. I assume the "intro" part in the title literally means "intro".
4. Oh Rauru - This one is a bit more melancholy than the previous three. The song rapidly changes key, and shifts from major to minor in the process. This is some really professional stuff. Totally awesome. Just percussion at the end, masterfully put together.
5. Wat Ju No - Did I point out that up to this point, all the lyrics have been in German (I think)? Anyways, this one is partially or completely in English, but it's a bit hard to understand. It's still just as beautiful, and in my opinion even better. The songs on this album have been perfect up until this point, so let's hope to keep the train going. The vocalizations get a bit weird towards the end though.
6. Chummer - Sounds like accordion this time. His voice is awesome too. It's surprising he can create so much atmosphere with just some chords on the accordion and his voice. I'll be really impressed if I find out he's playing that Zehnder is playing the accordion as well as singing. Wow, that was actually pretty incredible.
7. Hotten Totten - This one is a bit more rocking. Feel like it could be some weird synthpop song until his voice comes in. He's putting on a low growly voice for this one. Of course, all of the music is acoustic too. Guess I should point that out. Wait, is he burping? Yup. He's definitely belching a bit in this song. This guy has a complete mastery over his body. There's a bass solo in this one. It's definitely the most amazing upright bass work I've ever seen. Overall, another great, innovative song.
8. Ju Wel - More awesome bass work. That's really all, but it's so awesome that it totally negates the element of only having one instrument. This bass (it may be two, but whatever) carries the tone of the entire song on its own. That is the sign of an amazing songwriter.
9. Stifeli In - Into the final third of the album, there's a small spoken word introduction to the next song. It's pretty good, as there's some musical accompaniment as well. I have no idea what's happening, as it's in German, but I know it's good. The audience is loving it, at least.
10. Stifeli On - Pretty slow, with multitonal vocalizations at the start. All of the sudden, it picks up the pace. There's some yodeling, and then it slows down again. Absolutely amazing, this is. After a few more lyrics in German, and the return of the original bass line, it comes to a quiet close.
11. Pygmajo - Virtuosic accordian playing. This one is pretty uptempo compared to the last one. Still acoustic, still awesome. There's a very slow and very cool ending part. This is really awesome.
12. Heleriau - Jazzy and groovy, this song is a perfect closer to the album. It's very upbeat, and makes me want to dance in my seat. Awesome.
I can literally find nothing wrong with this album. Going in, I was expecting something almost unapproachable. Coming from both grindy and Germany, it seemed like the perfect combination for ear rape. However, as it turns out, this is the best album I've reviewed yet. While any album without any flaws will receive a 10/10, I've just now decided to allow some albums to go above and beyond, if they just absolutely blow away all of my expectations. Therefore, for its limitless creativity, and wonderful composition, I'm giving this one an exceedingly good score. Seriously, just listen to this album.
OVERALL RATING: 12/10