| Mountaineer - Come Alena |
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Mountaineer started out life as the project of German singer/songwriter and Hamburg-based Henning Wandhoff. A few years and a number of band member changes later he found his perfect writing and recording partner, Frank Mollena. They are both multi-instrumentalists with Henning playing acoustic guitar, drums, congas, percussion and providing the vocals on "The Real McQueen" and Frank playing bass, keyboards, electric guitar and programming the drum machines. The band's recording line up was completed by Alexander Rischer and they set out to rejuvenate their collective love of the classic LPs from the late 60s and 70s. We'd also throw in comparisons with 80s bossa-tinted indie-pop outfits like EBTG, the Pale Fountains, Shack and the jingle-jangle of Lloyd Cole & the Commotions. The male / female vocals work like a charm, with stunning lap steel work, easy drums and a whole host of other instruments making for a complex yet easy listening vibe. All twelve tracks leave their mark, yet come together beautifully as a whole. It's no surprise that Leng would choose artists that suit their sunshine roster and this album is the sound of the first morning you unzip your jacket on the walk to work.
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