MAX AND LAURA BRAUN - Highwire Haywire

A feather falling in slow motion through the void: this, if you like, could be the animated cover art for this "Highwire Haywire" to describe its music. A whimsical image, sure, but perfectly in line with the music of the Braun duo, German siblings from Stuttgart: a gem of purity and elegance.

Softly resting on Laura's voice, which at times intertwines with her brother's, the tracks on "Highwire Haywire" nonetheless manage to evoke musical sensibilities quite different from their own, like the slow-core echoes of Low in "Tired Years", the chamber jazz of "The Nature Of Things", and the classic British singer-songwriter pattern in the verses of "It Has Been Raining".

All of this, however, comes together with a "domestic" attitude full of great empathy, close to that found on the most intimate records by the Peris couple (the reference is above all to their lullaby record "Now The Day Is Over", see the lovely "The Weatherman"), and Laura's songwriting has room to breathe and shine, as in the nervy arrangement of "Time Is Taking All My Time".

Other times there's less need for embellishment, as in the delightful title track, or in the dreamy harmonies of "Beyond The Houses". Despite the consistently softened and at times idyllic tone ("Summer Song"), "Highwire Haywire" never sounds cloying, thanks also to a certain underlying dynamism that's always present, both within the songs and between them.

Soon to play a string of dates in Italy, the Braun siblings confirm themselves as one of the most reliable voices on the European folk scene. With a few more memorable songs, they could truly become a recurring name among fans and beyond.

Ride the wave of great music

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02/04/2015