Asbest are Driven
“Driven” is the rather apt title of the debut album of Asbest, a trio from Basel consisting of Robyn Trachsel (guitar, tape, vocals), Judith Breitlinger (bass) and Jonas Häne (drums). Theirs is a dark and heavy brand of post-Black Mountain guitar rock with a hint of Public Image Limited thrown in. It flows slowly like […]
Bastian Baker goes back to the beginning
“Lucky” was the title of an early single by Bastian Baker – of course it was a hit. Every one of his four albums to date has reached the top three in Switzerland. As if by magic, everything the 27 year old singer-songwriter from Lausanne has touched, has turned to gold. 26 October sees the […]
Wolfman calling Mad Woman
They are hungry, these wolves! Barely a year has passed since Wolfman’s last album, and already they have completed the next. Preceded by the single, “Mad Woman”, in June, the album, also entitled “Mad Woman”, is released on 5 October on Irascible Records in Switzerland. It is distributed in Germany via Cargo Records. Wolfman are […]
It’s all virtual for Odd Beholder
Odd Beholder is the dream pop project of Zurich-based singer and songwriter Daniela Weinmann. She follows two (three, if you count an EP of remixes) seriously well-received EPs with the release on 10 October of the debut album, “All Reality is Virtual” via Mouthwatering Records (Switzerland) and Sinnbus/Rough Trade (Germany). “It is one of the […]
“Cheers” say Steiner & Madlaina
19 October sees the release of Steiner & Madlaina’s keenly anticipated debut album, the cheerily entitled “Cheers”. Fronted by Zurich-based singer and guitarist Nora Steiner as well as pianist/singer/guitarist Madlaina Pollina, the band is augmented by Max Kämmerling on guitar, mandolin and percussion. “Cheers” was produced by Alex Sprave (Mando Diao, We Invented Paris, Ganes […]
Black Sea Dahu finds White Creatures
The dahu is a goat-like creature that lives in the Swiss mountains. It embodies everything that is fascinating and wonderful about evolution. What makes this animal so special is the fact that its left legs are shorter than the right. This allows the dahu to walk comfortably on the side of even the steepest of […]
Frank Powers cries “Juheminee”
Juheminee is a combination of the very Swiss words “juhee” (oh joy!) and “oh jemineh” (oh dear). This word creation is just as witty as the cartoon figures on Frank Powers’s homepage – which also cover one of the band’s items of merchandise, a skateboard. Whip-smart lyrics sung in German German as well as Swiss […]
The Rebels of Tijuana do it in French
The Rebels of Tijuana have been going for ten years and they’re wearing the coolest shirts in this month’s SME newsletter. This gives them the right to describe their new album – a double! – themselves: “Recorded on analogue tape at the “Back To Mono” Studio with Christian Hierro. Shifting into surreal French, the songs […]
Andrea Bignasca on murder tour
The long hair doesn’t lie: Andrea Bignasca is a proper, old-fashioned rock fan in the mould of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen or Kings of Leon. Raised near Lugano in the Italian part of Switzerland and a drummer by trade, Andrea’s new album, “Murder”, is his second. It was released via Radicalis and Soulfood in Germany […]
Beauty of Gemina breeds owls
Away from the general drift of the zeitgeist, Michael Sele’s dream-goth (if such a term is permitted) outfit The Beauty of Gemina have become one of the most popular and internationally successful bands from Switzerland (well, Liechtenstein, really) with early evening appearances at ever bigger festivals in Europe as well as Latin America. Lighter in […]
