January 17th, 2008
Peter Von Poehl - Going to Where the Tea Trees Are
PETER VON POEHL
Going to Where the Tea Trees Are
Bella Union
***
The title of Peter Von Poehl’s debut album hints at many things - is this the manifesto of a musical nomad? The aural scribblings of someone influenced by landscape? It’s both, thanks recording stints in rural Sweden and urban Berlin, creating quiet corners and busy thoroughfares of sound. Like his Bella Union stablemate Fionn Regan, Von Poehl challenges the conventions of his craft, sifting through an impressive array of influences. Unashamedly 70s and 80s in its tilt (Bowie and the Beatles are obvious ones), it manages to maintain a freshness thanks to the sheer musicality of the tracks. The drumming hauls things to the present with its post-rockisms and the horns are pure Beirut. Von Poehl’s scale-skimming vocals are mostly welcome, but some songs would work just as well without him. A breezy antidote to the January blues.
Download Tracks: ‘Tooth Fairy’. ‘A Broken Skeleton Key’
Website: www.bellaunion.com
www.petervonpoehl.com
This review originally appeared here, in The Ticket, The Irish Times on Friday, January 11th, 2008
January 17th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I bought a copy of this (or an EP, I’m not sure) during his support slot for St. Vincent last November and I still haven’t listened to it! Must get around to it.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I thought I left a comment here earlier, but obviously our blogs are mutually antagonistic when it comes to leaving comments…Just to say I’d completely forgotten about this album. It came out in France last year and I got a copy. Lovely stuff. And like you say, perfect for January.