Two years after the release of “Falling Into Place”, the Austrian singer-songwriter Clara Luzia is now reporting back with her new, now fifth album “We Are fish” (Asinella Records) on the stage of the local music scene. The press release states: “She is finally arrived where she wanted to be all along: with loud guitars, distortions and heavy drums”. Well, the breach to her distintive sound is not quite as radical as described, but it can be said that Clara Luzia has clearly discovered her liking for rockier sounds.
Forming a bridge with quiet piano music in the folk-ish opener song “With Headlights On” to past releases, track number two “We Are Fish” definitely displays that Clara Luzia has realigned her sound. More than ever, the Viennese songwriter lets the energy take its own course. Of course you can still find quiet, melancholic and balladesque tracks on the new album, but now electric guitars, powerful drums and heavy bass lines have come to the fore.
Songs like the just mentioned “We Are Fish”, “Leave The Light On” or “Monster In You” basically pass through as true indie-rock pieces, though, of course, with the very unique and characteristic mark of Clara Luzia. These tracks are contrasted with softer and Klezmer-tinged songs, such as “Light Is Faster Than Sound”, which provide the necessary counterpoint. Together with her music colleagues PauT (bass, clarinet), Max Hauer (piano, bass), Heidi Dokalik (cello, backing vocals) and Ines Perschy (drums, backing vocals, percussion), Clara Luzia demonstrates on the new album her refined musical skills, making the sound more varied and complex than on any other past release.
Another estrangement from the previous music practice s is also reflected in the fact that Clara Luzia’s new songs are not overruled by melancholy. She now also tries to convey a sense of new beginnings. It seems as if the album “We Are Fish” is a kind of liberation, sort of a personal catharsis. Those who have seen Mirjam Unger’s music documentary “Oh Yeah, She Performs” know that Clara Luzia’s last album “Falling Into Place” was not necessarily created under the best conditions. In the film you see a health-stricken songwriter, speaking of sleepless nights, not knowing how to pay the next bills and to get through a life crisis. Her low point, which is digested in some lyrics, seems to have past. Listening to the new album, the Viennese musician has notably been able to free herself from old baggage with a more mature and relaxed outlook on life.
With “We Are Fish”, Clara Luzia has once again positioned herself as a very distinct musical personality and managed to achieve her very own and exciting version of pop music that is mainly characterized by her courage to tread new musical paths.
Michael Ternai
(translated from German)
Photo Clara Luzia: Sarah Haas
Upcoming Shows:
Check artist website for international concerts.
Links:
www.claraluzia.com
www.asinellarecords.com