Floating Leaf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
floatingleaf) wrote2009-01-11 12:12 am
floatingleaf) wrote2009-01-11 12:12 am
I have a new fandom, lol
So, I've been doing some research on that band I mentioned in my previous post - Deine Lakaien. In fact, it's been my main preoccupation for the past few days. Because, as it turns out, they're not quite as obscure as I seemed to think. They're all over the web... lol. And the more I find out about them, the more intrigued I am. To cut a long story short, they're rather difficult to categorize because of all the different influences apparent in their music - I've seen them labelled as anything from folk to goth to synth-pop to darkwave to electronic. None of which quite fits, by the way. The band consists of only two guys: composer Ernst Horn (who just happens to be a classically trained musician, as well as a qualified orchestra conductor) and vocalist Alexander Veljanov. Both are German, though Veljanov's name reveals obvious Slavic origins (in fact, one look at the guy makes you think he must be from Transylvania - and his deep, haunting voice only reinforces that impression, which goes perfectly well with the 'goth' label, of course ;). In addition to several studio and live albums released since their beginnings in the eighties as Deine Lakaien, they have both been involved in other projects (Veljanov's solo albums seem to be more of the rock/pop variety, while Horn leads a band playing medieval music - which I am also very curious about, just trying to sort of take it one thing at a time). In fact, they are touring Europe right now. Anyway... YouTube is TEEMING with their videos, and since I've never figured out how to upload music files to LJ, I might just as well share video links.:) Not sure how I'll do with the embedding, since I've never done that before either... but I won't know until I try it, right?
So... here goes. A live acoustic version of one of their earliest songs, Love Me to the End.
And now for something completely different - futuristic, almost industrial Generators (from the album White Lies, 2002). The clip is WEIRD and kinda creepy, but I LOVE the song - I just can't help humming the chorus over and over, lol.
And another similar, though more dramatic song - Over & Done (from the latest studio album April Skies, 2005).
See, I am a child of the post-punk era. I grew up listening to The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Sisters of Mercy and the likes - so this is totally up my alley and makes me feel very nostalgic. In fact, I had thought this type of music was pretty much a thing of the past, and I am quite exhilarated to find it alive and kicking.:) As for the quiet, acoustic ballads with haunting violin and/or piano passages - they are another thing I am quite addicted to, and Veljanov's voice sounds absolutely perfect in such a setting. Here's an example - live version of Wunderbar (from the album White Lies). It's in English, despite the German title - and it sounds like a love song, right? But if you pay close attention to the lyrics, it's in fact about a guy crushed to death by a lamp-post that fell on his car (or that he drove right into, perhaps). I kid you not. Took me some time to figure it out too.:) And when I did, I was all like OMG THIS IS FUCKING BRILLIANT. Delightfully insane, gloriously twisted and just all-around stunning. In every sense of the word. THAT's what I mean when I say I LOVE depressing music. *nods*
And with that, I bid you goodnight. *dances away to the loony tune*
So... here goes. A live acoustic version of one of their earliest songs, Love Me to the End.
And now for something completely different - futuristic, almost industrial Generators (from the album White Lies, 2002). The clip is WEIRD and kinda creepy, but I LOVE the song - I just can't help humming the chorus over and over, lol.
And another similar, though more dramatic song - Over & Done (from the latest studio album April Skies, 2005).
See, I am a child of the post-punk era. I grew up listening to The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Sisters of Mercy and the likes - so this is totally up my alley and makes me feel very nostalgic. In fact, I had thought this type of music was pretty much a thing of the past, and I am quite exhilarated to find it alive and kicking.:) As for the quiet, acoustic ballads with haunting violin and/or piano passages - they are another thing I am quite addicted to, and Veljanov's voice sounds absolutely perfect in such a setting. Here's an example - live version of Wunderbar (from the album White Lies). It's in English, despite the German title - and it sounds like a love song, right? But if you pay close attention to the lyrics, it's in fact about a guy crushed to death by a lamp-post that fell on his car (or that he drove right into, perhaps). I kid you not. Took me some time to figure it out too.:) And when I did, I was all like OMG THIS IS FUCKING BRILLIANT. Delightfully insane, gloriously twisted and just all-around stunning. In every sense of the word. THAT's what I mean when I say I LOVE depressing music. *nods*
And with that, I bid you goodnight. *dances away to the loony tune*
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Obscure? No way they're obscure:)
Well, I'm very glad they aren't.:) But it only proves that I am completely out of touch with what's been going on in the European music world since I moved to the States. That makes me sad and regretful. Must do some serious catching up. *nods*
he did a song for a Edgar Alan Poe inspired album
That sounds extremely interesting. What's the name of the song? Maybe I can find it somewhere on the web.:)