Language has an unrestricted view and control over the music we make. Apart from influencing thought and behaviour, sonic experiences are very much within the mould of language. ‘S Lebn is Lilly & Georg Witsch masterpiece album, and this proposition remains true in their performance.
Spice up jazz with the theatrics and drama of Broadway, and this is something their songs achieve. Sag ma wias da geht is their opening single, progressions that incite an intriguing striking flame to it. Translating literally to Tell Me How it goes, the song is a joyous invitation card. The harmonics elevate Lilly Witsch’s sweet soprano. The instrumentals eat up the empty space, creating a mélange of bright spots and grooves that Georg Witsch orchestrates.
Wia a Fisch im Wasser has the fluidic essence the song foreshadows in the opening. Like a singer-songwriter’s crowning jewel, it creates a surprise with gentle transitions. The synth holds the balance, while the brass pushes the accents whenever called for. Lilly & Georg Witsch make some exciting choices in terms of composition, unexpected and flavourful, making each song dense with their signature arrangement style.
The intangible comes to life
Sommer brings the weather to you, in the pop thematic this duo desires. The electronic beat is a new addition, while the flowing synths maintain a loose sense of rhythm. It is a deep pocket for the vocals and instrumentals to experiment and really take a tour of sounds. Fairytale sounds are created with the piano highlights in moments, along with the harmonics. Spieglen, Spieglen brings a Disney story to life. Mirror, mirror is the translation, so the scene is set in front of a virtual canvas. The accordion’s tone really changes how the song sounds overall, Lilly Witsch’s vocals like embossing over the French style instrumentals. It’s a restructured jazz experience that show how well these musicians know their path around the tracks they make.
Nightlife brings the tales of the party to you. A sweet, soft night jazz number, it has a funky core to it. This could bring life to any dead club experience, Lilly & Georg Witsch know how to make a cinematic experience through an album. Sehnsuchtsvoll is a tale of yearning. It changes the tone to a pop thematic reflection, the groove an exemplary sound of a cool, chilled out pattern. These musicians have really got lightning in a bottle in these tracks, the balance and engineering allowed the layered sound to be experienced the right way.
A return to funk
Auf and Ab brings that funky groove back. This is a good way to rise and drop the tempos and still have a wide dynamic in your album. The jazz chords on the synth remain the highlight for this track, the brass coming back to push for a dramatic attack. Sommerwind is a track to be enjoyed on a long drive, the sunset draping the windscreen of your car. It has exquisite progressions, Lilly Witsch creating a spectacular resolution with her vocal performance. This has been one of my favourite tracks in terms of transition from verse to chorus.
Regentropfen begins to close out this roller coaster of an experience. Electronic beats once again change the overall tonality of the album. Lilly & Georg Witsch know how to push themselves among untravelled parts of music. The tones are still exemplified with an R&B look at scatting and saxophone takeaway sections of music. I schliass di Augn turns the car back around to soft jazz. Like a late nightclub track, it is the perfect way to touch upon the first track and come back full circle.
A performance to behold
This album is truly what Lilly & Georg Witsch will be remembered for. It is more than an enrapturing experience, it takes you within unexpected roads and lets you wonder at this new alley you’ve been dropped off at. There is navigation through mastery of tracks, and ‘S Lebn does more than its fair share of delivering on a great album. Listen to their album here:
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Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
