Drei Gesellen by Liederjan. Release (Help)
Hows this for a cover!?
Some of you can laugh all you like but I like it. I am a bit of a lover of history and this kinda stuff gets me thinking. It is medieval for a start and with a saint, a musician playing 2 flutes and another musician playing a lute, it has an attraction that portrays, to me at least, the minstrel, the pious troubadour, that story teller who came to the village and entertained the peasants with tales/songs of warrior kings and damsels and castles in Bavaria. Of course one look at the cover text made me realise that it was German. Interesting. Could this be baroque and if so in the manner of Micheal Nyman's fabulous soundtrack to The Draughtsmen's Contract?
Well no! In fact I got a rather strange surprise in that on first listen I got what I would consider a folk album of songs, that if sung in English could have been any number of British/Irish folk groups. After a 2nd listen I had to go back to the blog that I found this on a read up on what was said. And a very interesting read it was. To quote the blog
Younger musicians flocked to Classical, Jazz and later Folk. We all of course know the impact of "Kraut Rock"
To quote the blog further
Now that chicken drinking song with the oom pah band this ain't. In fact, as the blog says, it is "international" in style and I suspect that if this was sung in English it may have had a following among the bearded pint drinkers of real ale but it is not. It is beautifully played, in fact some tracks are live and we are treated to a tight folk group with deep male harmonies and even a capella's. I have genuinely enjoyed the album on my now total of 4 listens and have even read up on German folk on wiki.
BUT, and it is a huuuuuge but, I have not a bloody clue what they are singing about and the truth of the matter is that when it comes to folk tales of "Protest songs of oppressed farmers and labourers" you gotta know what the heck they are protesting about.
So great cover for me but not the style for the music though. Be that as it may I am a happier man for the experience of having my knowledge of German Folk music enhanced via this crazy idea of judging an album by it's cover.