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[one_half last=”yes”]LILABUNGALOW
Peace To Gold
Release-Date: 27.02.2015
Label: analogsoul
Tracklist:
01. Peace to gold
02. Mother love
03. Mexiko
04. Cape Kennedy
05. Chimpion
06. 1000hoch6
07. The Wandering
08. Diamond Face
09. Mean Saints
10. Wide Impact
11. Superelider
NBHAP Rating: 4,2/5
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The when and where from
Never heard of LILABUNGALOW before? It’s a three-piece from the underestimated middle of Germany, formed about ten years ago. And it seems like Erfurt, the capital of one of the smallest of Germany’s federal states, is a good breeding ground for crossover-ish music: NORTHERN LITE made it to big local fame with their rock and dance music mixture and performer CLUESO unites rap and pop music in perfection and became one of Germany’s most celebrated musical stars. The latter one is also full of nice words for the latest LILABUNGALOW release Peace to Gold: ‘experimental, but not forced. Is it pop? Yes, committed and good.’ And indeed it is. How else could it be with a release by the great Leipzig label ‘analogsoul,’ who always have a great feeling for truly unique pop music with a jazzy twist, such as WOODEN PEAK, A FOREST or EARNEST & WITHOUT YOU?
TV gigs in golden suits
You need a good dose of self-mockery to appear in golden suits in a ‘Morning show’ in German public television. In interviews they call their own style ‘Power unicorn pop’ or ‘Hutzebutz’ to show the interviewers the smiling middle finger concerning the always returning ‘genrefication’ question. To say it without genre phrases: This music is catchy (you can’t get the opening title track out of your ear!) funky, groovy and highly addictive (The Wandering, uh yeah!), beat-laden (Chimpion) and rich with sweet melodies (Cape Kennedy). The songs sound fresher and more organic than on the self titled debut album of 2012. The production is tight and stomping, a golden suit that fits the purple bungalists perfectly.
‘A pleasant disappointment’
There is only one tiny flaw here: Patrick Föllmer writes great songs, but he is not the most distinct vocalist. Sometimes you wish for some burst in the cool evenness of his singing. But it happens every now and then: Mexiko is a quirky example of falsetto fun and banda unpredictability that evolves into an orchestral string smooth-groover and finally resolves the occasional vocal disappointment into a pleasant experimental experience. Next to The Wandering and the title track probably the best song on the record.
‘Peace to Gold’ is a leap forward for LILABUNGALOW: loads of fun and loads of creativity join in here!
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