Robert Krieger
Haunted Ukulele

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Haunted Ukulele Cover

Usually a front cover reveals much of the music, but even the artwork concept here is kept a bit hidden in the booklet. Also the songs remain somewhat introverted. On "The Heart of Misery", starting with cafe talk on the background, it is as if she has several thoughts, but does not want to use them as a form of communication. Hidden is the message, while using comprehensible words, like a regret of a goodbye or a metaphor projected in a world where comfort can't be found. The song arrangements however which are sometimes kept simple are often still carefully arranged, like little children or better memories ranging from childhood times (the echoes to a musical box melody on "The Exorcism") to the present (the cafe), and above all some participating example or hint of a baroque sadness melody. "Blue" brings in a Bach theme on church organ (in the original version), but turned mixed with a mellow tone in feelings with the guitar and voice of Milena. This guitar tuning returns like an echo of a memory, which is musically associated with a Bach-alike minimalism, and which is almost like a trauma of a memory by playing it on harmonium on "Gute Nacht". The careful arrangements give several songs something almost religious, not only for the Bach reference to some point, but also in its personalised gospel-like vocal arrangements, which showed some beautiful overtone harmonies mixed with normal harmonies, arranged with his own voice more often, and sometimes a male second voice in certain records. All kinds of musical ideas come forth from the electric piano. "Sky Vampire" is arranged like chamber-music...

This is Robert Krieger's first solo album on Mahorka. He is also part of the duo Mad Birdies, with two published albums on Mahorka - "Hila and Maraba" and "Operazzione Foresta Infectata", and a member of Spanish electronica group The Wasabi Porn Kitties.

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