Dorau, Andreas
Aus Der Bibliotheque
Many musicians dedicate their albums to a person who is close to them (a so-called "muse", often female) who has inspired or is said to have inspired the artist. Or a mysterious, mythical place, namely the studio, which is either located in a very drab area ("We recorded our album in a former chicken farm in Minnesota. The nearest bus stop was 150 miles away. That way we were able to completely focus on our music.") Or details which are intended to inspire envy in potential listeners ("The old RCA studio in L.A. The amplifiers were still set from last Elvis recordings. Just a stone's throw from the beach. Or even just L.A. .not exactly healthy, but what the heck..."). In rare and unusual cases, a record is sometimes dedicated to a person who is now estranged from the artist ("Here My Dear"). So far, so boring. Until now, of course. Andreas Dorau, in contrast, has dedicated his new album to a completely different place, a completely different muse: The public libraries of Hamburg. To be precise. "In der Bibliotheque" is the first album Dorau has recorded with a band since 1987. The band sound was provided by Die Liga der gewohnlichen Gentlemen, brothers in spirit and, incidentally, also friends of the lending library. Dorau's version of a singing and sounding library was created in the studio of the gewohnliche Gentleman Zwanie Johnson using banjos, saxophones, guitars, drum machines, an old piano, a Hofner violin bass and a great deal more. The result: poppy krautrock, Beatlesque sunshine-pop, soft rock and electronics (Tim Lorenz). A great album!