Andrea Schroeder: The Kingdom of Pop-Nouar

The headliner of the thirty-first issue of the program "Music at Free" is the German queen of the style "Pop Nouar" Andrea Schroeder. Rock Critic Artemy Troitsky does not hesitate to admit sympathies to this original performer, despite the fact that she has not yet been able to break into the upper league of the world pop music.

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Andrea Schruder is perhaps one of my most beloved pop singers today. In addition, undoubtedly, this is my favorite modern singer from Germany. You are Andrea Schroeder , most likely, do not yet know how, in fact, most music lovers around the world does not know her, because, unfortunately, her glory outside the Federal Republic of Germany will still not come out, although, in my opinion, such popularity would be quite deserved.

Andrea Schroeder - from Berlin, by education a graphic designer. She (as well as critics who write about her) calls her style "pop-nuar." That is, this is pop music, nothing so panking, rapper and extreme. But at the same time, just as there are films in the style of "Noir" (usually black and white, criminal-detective and gloomy in mood). Here is the same gloomy, sensual and not very optimistic, frankly, Mrs. Schroeder pop music. In a sense, she continues the line of the two famous German singers of the distant and less distant past- Marlene Dietrich and Nico, a cult vocalist, soloists of the first composition of Velvet Underground . Just like these legendary divas, Schroeder has a bright appearance Femme Fatale, a fatal woman.

Andrea Schroeder was released in 2012, produced by his famous American musician and producer Chris Ekman from the Walkabouts group. This album is called BlackBird, "Black Drozd". Here are two tracks that are very typical of the dark mood of the plate. The first of them is called Paint It Blue - "Color it blue."

Andrea Schroeder paints it blue

And another track from the same album is Be Bop Blues . Yes, Andrea is not alien to jazz or blues. But still, the core of her stylistics is what critics call "American": a ballad genre, narrative, with elements of traditional music "Country".

Mademoiselle Andrea sings Bibop -BBP in Munich club Milla

Andrea Schroeder's debut disc impressed journalists and other professionals, collected a number of nominations and prizes, but had no public success. The next album was released two years later, in 2014, and was called Were The Wild Oceans End- "Where wild oceans end." By this time, Andrea Schroeder had already become quite popular in narrow circles, Stern magazine compared it to Marlene Dietrich and called the Grand Dama of the German chanson. They also wrote about her as a successor of the traditions of Nika Cave - of course, in female reincarnation. The song Dead Man's Eyes , "The Eyes of the Dead."

Andrea Schroider looks into the eyes of the dead man at a concert in Cologne

Another song from the album "where the wild oceans end" called the "explosive snake" - The Rattlesnake . This is perhaps the hardest, rock and rolling number on the disk, although in general the second album turned out to be more lyrical and thoughtful than the debut.

Andrea Schroeder and her "explosive snake"

In the intervals between the second and third album, Andrea Schroeder took part in a large international project dedicated to the late American musician Jeffrey Lee Pierce - by the way, one of the founders of the "Americans". In this project, she participated with some, let’s say, heavyweights of alternative rock and pop music, in particular, with the same nickname Kaywa , Iggy Pop ; Blondie group and so on. The company is very honorable, and Andrea was the only non -English participant in it. And then, at the very beginning of this year, Andrea Shreder, the third album, was released, which we will now get acquainted with a little more details. It is called VOID , "Emptiness". I present you the song Black Sky , "Black Sky".

The style of "Noir", as we hear, is fully observed, although the composition of the accompanists has changed noticeably. An international group is accompanied by an international group in the third album of Andrea, in particular, Christoph Khan from the American group Swans , German guitarist Esper Limkul , a bassist from England , Dave Allen and the Australian drummer Chris Hughes , participate. We listen to another song from the VOID album, it is called Creatures . By the way, in addition to the main group, other invited musicians play here, in particular, the German Mike Strauuss and the Belgian violinist Katrin Graindorge .

Despite the strong composition, the powerful repertoire and love of experts, Andrea Schroeder has not yet been able to make a breakthrough into the highest pop-ration. Perhaps for Germany it sounds too "foreign", and in the UK, the USA is too high. But let's hope that the main victories ahead. We will complete the acquaintance with Andrea Schroeder - who, I hope you liked it the same way as I like it - the song "Do not wake me up." Almost, delicate lullaby.

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Andrea Schroeder. Don'T Wake ME, LP VOID

The thirty -second issue of the program "Free Music" will be aired on September 2, on the website of "Freedom" the printout will appear a day later. And until that time, the Saturday August evenings, listen to the repetitions of the best programs of the cycle of past months and refresh the texts with printouts of all previous programs - from the first, about IGGI of the SPA to the thirty -first, about Andrea Schroeder.

Playlist of the program "Music at Free" (release 31):

1. Mishka Shubaly (Canada). I canon Remember how you were min, lp Coward's Path

2. Jenny Hval (Norway). The Great Undressing, LP Blood Bitch

3. Piccola Orchestra Gagarin (Italy). Krutitsa Vertitsa Shar Goluboy, LP Vostok

4. Andrea Schroeder. Paint It Blue, LP BlackBird

5. Andrea Schroeder. Be Bop Blues, LP BlackBird

6. Andrea Schroeder. Dead Man's Eyes, Lp Where Wild Oceans End

7. Andrea Schroeder. The RatTlesnake, Lp Were The Wild Oceans End

8. Andrea Schroeder. Black Sky, LP VOID

9. Andrea Schroeder. Creatures, LP VOID

10. Andrea Schroeder. Don'T Wake ME, LP VOID

11. OH! Gunquit (UK). Head Bits Tail, LP Eat Your Apples and Dance

12. OH! Gunquit (UK). Voodoo Meatshake, LP Eat Your Apples and Dance

13. OFRENDA VYTAS Brenner (Venezuela). Caracas Para Locos, LP Venezuela 70: Cosmic Vision of a Latin American Earth