MAXIMILIAN HECKER - I'll Be A Virgin I'll Be A Mountain Review

His esoteric charm has made him a star back home in Germany and now Maximilian Hecker is hoping to seduce those finger-twiddling Coldplay fans beyond the Black Forest. The melodies, draped in piano, French horn and strings, tick all the right boxes and Hecker's let his breathy whisper fall to a world-weary sigh for a more contemporary sound. His voice caresses the words of Snow White and floats through the whimsy of Silly Lily, Funny Bunny, but for Hecker, love is bound up with a masochistic optimism....full text With five years and three albums already under his belt, this is the latest release from the German indie crooner and former busker. If you're familiar with his previous work, he needs no introduction. If you're not, then think of it as along the lines of Air, Rufus Wainwright and Thom Yorke with a distinct whiff of Coldplay here and there.
Hecker's vocals are soft and breathy, and seem to glide effortlessly above the ubiquitous piano, drum and strings accompaniment. The whole effect is gently subtle, although pretty much what you'd expect from the torch song genre. It's more down-tempo than his previous releases, and whilst the impact is quiet and touching, it remains somehow glacial....full text In the catalogue of rock prejudices “German singer-songwriter” ranks alongside “Italian indie” and “Spanish power trio”. But the Bavarian Maximilian Hecker is an exception to the rule and lurking behind the rather portentous title of this album is a thing of some beauty....full text