HUBERT VON GOISERN UND DIE ALPINKATZEN - OMUNDUNTN

Hubert Von Goisern and his group, Die Alpinkatzen, were introduced to me by a friend in Switzerland. He actually gave me a few CDs of local bands because I really wanted to hear what was popular there. He suggested this band. Since discovering the group, I've read up on them online and learned a lot about a movement in Germanic folk music called Alpinerock. This movement is made up of bands who combine elements of pop and rock with traditional folk style. Now I know what you're thinking... German Folk music? Wouldn't that consist of a bunch of dudes in lederhosen yodeling? Well, you wouldn't be far from the truth there. They certainly do wear lederhosen and they do yodel. There's even an accordion in the mix. But that's basically where the similarity with traditional folk music ends.

From the outset, this disc goes places I never expected. Honestly, I thought I'd get some yodeling in a quaint predictable fashion. Instead you get something ethereally different. The yodeling; when it does happen; is something more complex and fast paced than you'd expect to hear. It has a siren-like quality to it and alternates between relaxing and bewitching, to enhancing, tensing and ultimately increasing the pace of the songs.

Subject matter is quite unexpected as well. Especially when you have a tune about Cocaine and Chicken McNuggets. Ok, so they're not in the same song, but it is strange for a folk band to sing about fast food and illegal drugs. The rock tunes are catchy and lyrically engaging. There's comedy and seriousness throughout the disc. But the true treasure of this album comes in the ballads.

My favorite song of the bunch is "Wieder Hoam". Although the music is somewhat standard fare and never really moves beyond; dare I say it...; generic 80s... The sentiment of the lyric, the vocal delivery and the subdued instrumentation combine to make a truly lovely song. I love it. Absolutely love it.

I'm hugely fascinated with other songs on this disc as well. From the beautiful and haunting yodeling on 'Kuahmelcher' to a dip in the pool of religion on 'Gott Erhalts' I find myself enchanted from start to finish. Of course, the album makes ten times more sense when you actually understand the lyrics. Fortunately, I do.

In the end, I'd really recommend this to anyone who wants to hear how an outdated music form can become something vital and exciting in the right hands. Or anyone who wants to get excited about their ancestry. This is a great place if you're German, to hear what your relatives across the pond are doing these days. Oh, heck, I'd recommend it to everyone. It's worth the time. My final words: AN EXCITING ALPINE MUSICAL EXCURSION!

HUBERT VON GOISERN UND DIE ALPINKATZEN - OMUNDUNTN
01. Iawaramoi (Steirer)
02. Goassbeitl-Bauernbuam
03. Spinni
04. Kren & Speck
05. Goisern
06. Kokain-Blues
07. Landlertanz
08. Kuahmelcher
09. Gott Erhalts
10. Wieder Hoam
11. Ganz Alloan
12. Oben Und Unten
13. Schleiniger