Alexander Liebe - Spielautomat

4.2

Rating

4.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

Very good storytelling
Wide range of songs

Reviewing German artist Alexander Liebe and his album Spielautomat has been a typical Flyctory.com story. I received the album through a promotion platform and after a short listen, I felt that this one deserves a deeper analysis. Here is my review of the album, which is literally titled as “Gambling Machine”.

Alexander Liebe – About The Artist

Alexander Liebe is a singer and multi-instrumentalist from Kehl in Southern Germany. For example, he is playing the piano, the trumpet and the guitar. His first album, Blick nach oben, has been released in 2016. However, it took him quite a while to release more songs. In 2022, a couple of tracks featured his album Spielautomat.

Alexander Liebe – Spielautomat – Track by Track

The eleven song album lasts 36 minutes.

1. Spielautomat

The album opens with the title track, which is already setting a decent direction for the album. Straight indie-pop with personal-feeling lyrics and good storytelling. The song has a nice groove, but also comes with a nice melody. Good one.

2. Niederlage

Alexander Liebe released quite a bunch of songs as singles already – I am not even sure if I caught them all. The song Niederlage is one of them. The translates to “Loss” and is in fact a break-up track. The storytelling leaves with a smile:

Im Wettbewerb der schönsten Felge
Bin ich maximal die verloren gegangene Radkappe auf dem Weg
Frag’ doch bitte wie es mir geht
Ruf’ an, mach irgendwas.

(“In the competition about the most beautiful wheel rim
I am the at most the lost hubcab on the path.
Please, ask how I am like,
Call me, do something”)

3. Rollator

Zwei Kastanien im Rollator – “Two chestnuts in the rollator”… I guess I never reviewed a songs which started with lyrics similar to that. The song is very groovy, almost creates some ska qualities later. Do I need to mention that a huge part of the joy listening to this song is about the lyrics? Love it!

4. Dorffest

In the fourth track, Alexander Liebe is taking you to the “Village Fair”. The song beautifully describes what is going on during this event. You even get to learn some of the locals. A description of a date, which is somehow coming with the same things as every year, but still has some nice touch.

5. Loreen

Mädchen, Du bist mein Tresen, ich würde Dir so gerne Trinkgeld geben – “Baby, you are my bar, I would love to tip you”. If you like lyrics like this, which are very metaphoric and ironic, then this album might be a perfect choice for you. The song comes with a nice pop-rock melody.

6. Krieg oder Frieden

Krieg of Frieden (“War or Peace”) adds some blues vibes to the album. Unfortunately, this instrumental interlude just lasts 77 seconds – the main theme feels rather promising.

7. Regenschirm

Why not writing a song about a parasol? That’s exactly what Liebe is doing in this song, at least regarding the song title. The song is rather rocking and thus a nice contrast to other songs of the album.

8. Hallo Abgrund

The eighth song is a bit slower and overall feels melancholic. The sound is very rhythmic. The trumpets and the rhythm remind me of Mexican music.

9. Vom Weg abgekommen

The ninth song is adding a rather psychedelic feeling to the range of atmospheres. Not my favorite song, but a nice alternative to all the other listens.

10. Jetzt sitzen wir hier

This one is the second interlude of the album.

11. Bis zum Schluss

The closing song mixes folk and pop elements, but still keeps the beautiful storytelling of the album and the independent style. Definitely enjoy to listen to this finale.

Alexander Liebe – Spielautomat – Spotify

Here is the album Spotify:

Alexander Liebe – Spielautomat – My View

Folk, pop, rock – Alexander Liebe does a great range of sounds and also presents very individual and entertaining stories. Every song is a new surprise, it is fun to listen to the artist. Bad luck that some knowledge of the German language is absolutely necessary for the full comfort.