Saturday 31 October 2009

Neofolk publicism for Klammheim



As a glance at this blog will reveal, Lord Bassington-Bassington has a soft spot for Neofolk music. And it seems that some of the musicians creating this music reciprocate by appreciating (or at least tolerating) His Lordship. At least enough to enlist him as their publicist.

Latest in the (admittedly rather short) line of musical ensembles asking for His Lordship's help are upcoming Austrian band Klammheim. Klammheim are some fine people who Lord Bassington-Bassington has had the pleasure of following since their band's inception, and it's a real pleasure to see them grow, hear songs find new shapes and so on. Lead singer Dea has also helped these Chronicles with a previous post about patriotism.

Klammheim might be seen as a part of the small wave of Alpin-Folk that's currently rocking (or perhaps rather folking) the mountainous parts of Central Europe, and which sees charming bands such as Jännerwein don folkish costumes and play some nice and catchy tunes.

And now, here's Klammheim, who have, despite not having a debut release out yet, have realized some very important points about promotion. Such as the importance of having a good logo, something that will look stylish on the chest of a blazer (or, more realistically, a T-shirt).

So here's a preliminary promotional text, a preview of His Lordship's upcoming, full-length press release.



If you’re a Neofolk aficionado familiar with Steinklang’s Pagan Folk collection, or the Austrian club scene, Klammheim should be a name you’ve noticed. And now Klammheim’s debut album is due on December 15th.

Heimwärts is a collection of melancholic, soft-spoken and acoustic folk songs that occasionally reveal Klammheim’s roots in heaver, rockier sounds.

All vocals are sung in lead singer Dea’s Styrian (Austrian) dialect, and to augment the band’s line-up of guitars, accordion and percussion are guest musicians such as Thomas Bøjden (Die Weisse Rose) and Benjamin Sperling (Jännerwein). The album is housed in a lavish digipack with a 16-page booklet (there will also be an extravagant collector’s box).

Even at this early stage, this release seems to promise to be something greater than the sum of its parts. Might Klammheim be the missing link between Neofolk and Austropop, Death in June and Wolfgang Ambros (or perhaps even Falco?)


Klammheim's debut will be released by Heimatfolk records.

So, that's it for today. Now, Alpin-Folk enthusiast Lord Bassington-Bassington just needs to find a Basset version of the snappy "Alpine Canine" outfit below.

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