I am always glad to present you German artists, who have a touch of international-style Americana and country music influences. One of them is definitely Philip Bradatsch. The artist is releasing a self-titled album on 28th April 2023. Overall, it is already his fifth solo release.
Philip Bradatsch – About The Artist
Philip Bradatsch is a German indie-pop musician, who was born in 1985 in Kaufbeuren in the Allgäu region in Southern Germany. Nowadays, he is living in Munich. Apart from solo releases, he also plays and played in mutiple bands, like the Cola Run Boys, who consist of musicians of his home town, or the alternative country-folk band The Dinosaur Truckers. On the solo side, he has released four albums so far, starting with the 2015 When I’m Cruel and the last one being Die Bar zur guten Hoffnung (2021).
Philip Bradatsch – Philip Bradatsch – Track by Track
The nine song album lasts 35 minutes.
1. Herzen ausgebombt
Two of the nine songs are already known to the Philip Bradatsch fans, the opener is one of them. The song combines country vibes with singer-songwriter narrations. A dramatic song, which finally deals with love.
2. Wohin geht der Fluss
The second song feels more thoughtful. Wohin geht der Fluss (“Where does the river go to”) thereby introduces sounds like the harmonica, which is one of the most dominant instruments of several sections of the song. However, this one is also moving between rather quiet to energetic parts. With almost six minutes, it is the longest listen of this album.
3. Tausend tote Pfeile
The third track (“Thousand Dead Arrows”) comes with a strong country music reference on the melodic side. Philip Bradatsch creates a very picturesque theatric style in here. You almost see a movie of a rider (on a donkey, not a horse…) riding through the wide countryside. Fantastic storytelling.
4. Keiner weiß wie ich mich wirklich fühle
In the vinyl edition, this fourth song is already the final tune of the A side. Right in the first verse, the artists states the words of the title, which translate to “Nobody knows how I really feel”. They become the repeated key phrase of the song. Very melancholic, but also metaphoric songs. There are phrases like Ich will doch bloß nicht auf dem Wühltisch sterben – “I just don’t want to die on the bargain counter.” Intense listen.
5. Verlass dich nicht auf mich
The B-side of the record starts with two rather short songs, which both just are a bit longer than two minutes. The shorter one is this message, which translates to “Don’t trust on me”. Very intimate listen, which does not use a much wider instrumentation than just an acoustic guitar and the artist as a vocalist.
6. Fremde sein
The sixth song’s title translated to Being Foreigners. Again, Bradatsch is working with a very limited arrangement. This time, the bridge is also using whistling. A song dealing with the current refugee situation. Schöne Menschen mit müden Augen, how Bradatsch is describing them. “Beautiful people with tired eyes”. The topic leads to a beautiful song.
7. Im Achtzigsten Stockwerk
The seventh song is taking us to the 80th floor, if you translate the title literally. However, the song is a fiction rather than being based on a real-world original. The female background singer and the brass sounds turn this track into one of the most present songs of the album. The groaning lady feels to much at first sight, but you just have to agree that this element is working out. You keep Im Achtzigsten Stockwerk in mind.
8. Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers honors the US-American writer, wo lived from 1917 to 1967. Unfortunately, I could not validate it, but it feels like that the lyrics are rather quotes from her work, which are told by Bradatsch with some backing organ and saxophone.
9. Marielle
Marielle, häng Deine Liebe
Nicht zum Trocknen in die Sonne
Die Dinge ändern sich so schnell.
Marielle, morgen schon verlieren sich Deine Worte
Im Nebel der Bedeutung
Rutsch rüber, Marielle
(“Marielle, don’t hang your love
Out in the sun to dry.
Things are changing so far.
Marielle, your words will be gone tomorrow already
In the fog of importance.
Move over, Marielle!”)
The closing track is a rather easy and happy sounding country style song. However, its melody and also the lovely storytelling turn the song into a special listen.
Philip Bradatsch – Philip Bradatsch – Spotify
Here is the album on Spotify:
Philip Bradatsch – Philip Bradatsch – My View
I really love what Philip Bradatsch is doing in this album. It is just nine songs, but they are telling very different story and deal with different moods, from melancholic to cheerful. The songwriting is on point. Lovely listen.
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