Polarkreis 18

"definitely the most exceptional pop album of 2008!" ****1/2 TIME OFF

This is not a simple pop band. Right here you find what we called the insanity of Polarkreis 18: It's their chutzpah, their bold belief in their own creation that gives them the courage to try the unbelievable - and to succeed. There is no big arranger, no aesthetic advisor behind this band, which even for a pop group is extremely young.

Not only did they produce their own debut album, they are also responsible for all the graphic ideas, all the schemes, every note on the violin score. With Polarkreis 18, the fine arts are no finnicky aunt, but more like a pretty cousin - the so-called "Klangfilm" that accompanies the band's shows is a pretty piece of self-made video art. So if you close your eyes to listen to Polarkreis 18, you risk missing a lot - but we sympathize if you prefer to forget the world once this music starts playing.

So let us use all our imagination: On their self-titled debut album, Polarkreis 18 sometimes sound as if they were standing on mossy cliffs, clad in blue down-jackets, fur-hooded, utilizing the weather as their reverberator. Sometimes they sound like massive, moving shadows, backlit by a flashing stroboscope, their heads thrown back or bowed over the knobs and buttons of complicated consoles. Sometimes you might believe they some hidden director's soundtrack band, accompanied by a string-quartet, placed in the ground fog of an enchanted forest, and as they sing, their breath forms small, cold clouds. And then again, Polarkreis 18 sound as if they've lit all the candlesticks in a lounge lined with blood-red velvet, wearing tuxedos as they play their songs.

Their songs encompass a certain transcendence, twisting your eyes inwards, readjusting the cycle of fifths like a grandfather clock. And this, by the way, is the point where people usually resort to landscape metaphors and holiday pictures to explain things. Reading these can be a drag, but hearing what they mean can be the most brilliant thing.

But let's keep it concrete: Polarkreis 18 are a guitar band with keyboards, or a keyboard band with guitars. Polarkreis 18 are Felix Räuber (vocals, guitar, piano), Philipp Makolis (guitar, piano), Christian Grochau (drums), Uwe Pasora (bass) and Bernhard Wenzel (programming, keyboard). They are all in their early twenties. They are from Dresden.

Now take off your fur caps, your ear muffs and your gloves, as the arctic circle gets warmer and warmer. All the fish are polished, and today the ice tastes like raspberry. The Polarkreis 18 expedition has only just begun. But as we said: It's going to be an insane experience.

The Australiasian version of the album features a cover of the CAN classic: “Mother Sky”.
AVAILABLE FROM 20 SEPTEMBER ON THEMUSICCONNECTION

© RiSH Publicity 2008 : RiSH Records