Search - Attwenger :: Pflug

Progressive country music genius from Austria

Ulf Kastner | Austin, TX USA | 06/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Attwenger are HP Falkner on accordion and lead vocals and Markus Binder on percussion and backing vocals. They hail from Linz and sing in their native dialect, which is difficult to understand for most people outside of Austria and Bavaria.The accordion parts range from traditional stylings (think Polka) to amplified and distorted accordion riff mayhem. The percussion flirts with hip hop more than with any other rhythmic heritage and lends every Attwenger song an edge unique to their music. The lyrics are fun and occassionally turn into expressionistic mantras, quite in the tradition of "Mund Art" of writers like Ernst Jandl that focuses on the phonetic properties of words and short sentences. Sometimes the singing and chanting is syncopated in a way that recalls rapping."Pflug" (German for plow) is my favorite Attwenger album predominantely on the strength and consistency of its song-writing.Later Attwenger pushed the envelope of their sound quite a bit further with "Luft" (German for air,) "Song" (German for "to say" in Attwenger's dialect - the title is likely also meant as a pun on the English word,) and "Sun" (which happens to mean the same thing in Attwenger's dialect as it does in English) but "Pflug" remains the album with the most enjoyable collection of songs in my mind.I think it's a safe bet that you've never heard anything like Attwenger before. In my estimation you'll enjoy "Pflug" for its songs similar to the way I do, but if you're looking for more "out there" material, give "Luft," "Song" or "Sun" a listen first. "Luft" ventures further from Attwenger's country music heritage than "Pflug" does with a higher share of rapping vocals and "Song" is Attwenger's dub album (adding yet another musical genre to the fold of their influences.) "Sun" is their most diverse and most recent release that incorporates at times a Balkan wind instrument capella with songs ranging from droning, aboriginee-like vocal loops, to outright rocking material.To obtain some of the more recent relases, you might have to go through Attwenger's web-site (attwenger.at) or inquire with a local record store with an unusually eclectic inventory of European imports. Attwenger release all their albums through the German Trikont label.In any event, who could resist a CD with a doily imprinted on its face?"