Send "Hauschka " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Cokemachineglow |
![Hauschka - Snowflakes And Carwrecks [EP] review](http://www.sweetslyrics.com/poze/hauscka.jpg) If only more artists were as seasonally appropriate as Hauschka. Last fall we got Ferndorf, which saw Volker Bertelmann revisiting his small-town, nature-ridden upbringing, juxtaposed with the increasing popularity he’s experienced as Hauschka. It was a perfect October album, filled with autumnal recollections of bike rides through colored leaves, the crisp crunch of foliage, and near-indescribable sense of melancholy that pervades memories of childhood innocence. Snowflakes and Carwrecks, then, is Bertelmann in winter. As could be expected, things are more contemplative and reserved, the mindless Zen harmony of nature walks replaced by the wonder of gazing at a frozen mosaic of ice and snow. “Eisblume” drips long string tones and frigidly high staccato piano stabs with the beauty and grace of a magnified snowflake. The plinking tines of Bertelmann’s prepared piano are appropriate like never before, ice crunching under the feet of the observer. Whether or not we’re back in Bertelmann’s childhood this time around is unclear, but Ferndorf‘s sense of innocence overwhelmed by nature is certainly present....full text |
| Musicomh |
| Hauschka has frequently been compared to John Cage in his methodology, and it is a testament to the vision of the FatCat label that they continue to provide an outlet for such challenging music. Snowflakes & Car Wrecks is the latest offering from the German born pianist Volker Bertelmann, a 40-minute EP that comprises material left over from the sessions for last year's Ferndorf. The EP manages to stand alone in its own right, with the seven pieces here each offering subtle developments on that wonderful album's sound. There is a clarity of vision here that Ferndorf, for all its excellence, sometimes lacked. As with all his work Bertelmann's prepared piano is placed centre stage, with the home-made modifications allowing him to elicit a rich variety of harmonic and percussive sounds from the instrument....full text |
| Nme |
| Facts about this album: * Hauschka, aka Volker Bertelman, is based in Dusseldorf, Germany. * Hauschka's use of 'prepared' piano recalls the experiments of John Cage. * Bertelman is also a member of Music AM, a collaboration with Stefan Schneider (To Rococco Rot) and Luke Sutherland (Long Fin Killie). Album review: Whether his inspiration came from kids’ TV prog Itsa Bitsa or minimalist whiz Erik Satie, Volker Bertelman’s addition of bits of cork, leather and metal to the innards of his beloved joanna was an act of ingenuity. The resultant clacking, scraping and hammering amid his chilly piano and forlorn strings creates, as if by magic, a factory of percussion. Valuable remainders from last year’s ‘Ferndorf’ sessions, these playful-yet-stark instrumentals beckon us invitingly into the terribly clever worlds of Terry Riley and Steve Reich....full text |
Hauschka lyrics
