Dieter Schöön is almost a genius with the sounds he creates. It's impressively unpredictable, almost as if he is making it to aggravate you and
La Blaza is an incredibly difficult album to describe.
Having never heard of the Scandinavian one-man band before and not being particularly liking psychedelic electro music, I was astonished to become a fan of
Dieter Schöön. He serenaded me with beautiful sounds and the imagery they create whilst entertaining me with his lyrics.
La Blaza starts off with "
Manuel" which eases you in to
Dieter Schöön's spooky, romantic sound. I closed my eyes and felt like I was drifting on a slow river and hearing all the different sounds from surrounding banks.
By harsh contrast, of course, is the recently released single "
Mary Jane" - complete with mariachi horns it has a very up-beat sound. When you listen to the lyrics it becomes apparent that
Dieter Schöön has not written your regular pop-electro love song.
"
Warm Hearts" starts abruptly with a muffled explosion giving the impression a tiny faraway part of the world has been obliterated, but you are not allowed time to mourn as it carries on with an unrelentingly happy introduction giving the impression that you are living in a computer game and jumping on cushiony mushrooms. I know that gives an odd comparison but you'll have to hear the song to understand it’s accuracy.
"
Warm Hearts" is not the strongest song on the album as it contains a variation of just one sentence. The highlight of the album was "
The Harbours Cold" - Cold?? It was chilling with an underestimated beauty.
The album is made up of indecipherable words and catchy choruses with a dark undertone that you can't pin down or get out of your head. Lying in bed two or three days later I found myself humming along to “
Hogface” and when I recognised it all I could do was smile.
Dieter Schöön has a beautiful voice and a natural instinct with sound, he creates pulsating, melodic songs and is truly one of a kind.
Buy
Dieter Schöön’s
La Blaza if you want something to listen to after a night out. Buy
La Blaza if you need something to relax you before work. Buy it if you want something to jog to. Whatever you do, you should buy this album - it wont let you down.
Track listing:
1: Manuel
2: Mary Jane
3: Warm Hearts
4: The Harbour’s Cold
5: Soft and Slow
6: Hogface
7: Lot’s of Free Shoes but Nowhere to Run
8: Jethead
9: I’ll Go There
10: Everyone Must Leave
11: Auf Wiedersehen