Them Pastoral Pilots

Album Review für "JOIN" von Colleen Ryor (USA)

Invading Your Beautiful Country: Meet the Maximilians

by Colleen Ryor

There is a new band out of Germany that is about to invade your beautiful country with the stunningly eclectic debut album, Join the Maximilians. The Maximilians are headed by two Andrés, Messrs. Daners and Rauhofer, who happened to meet on Germany's popular music website for independent musicians and songwriters, MyOwnMusic.de, where bands can upload songs and other media and critique each other's work, befriend other bands, etc. André Daners, 34, a Duisburg native who has been songwriting under the name André Weet for several years, got together with Driedorf resident André Rauhofer, 23, who is the one-man band DavidBowman, in early 2006. The initial meeting was magical for both, as the two Andrés felt an instant kinship, musically and otherwise. The pair soon became fast friends and began collaborating on projects, initially covering each other's songs, such as Daners singing Rauhofer's Bowman track "Jugendlich im März" and Rauhofer singing Daners's classic Weet track "Like Sister and Brother." They performed together in public in the spring of 2006. While both continue their solo projects with the occasional hiatus, they decided to finally put their musical backgrounds together and form the Maximilians, adding Stephan Bauer to the mix. Though Bauer would ultimately leave the band shortly after the album was released, he had a standout drum performance on the track "Invading Your Beautiful Country," with Daners momentarily leaving behind his quieter solo acoustic acts to deliver a crushingly frenetic bassline, and Rauhofer's memorable lyrics shining through it all: "Maximilians streetwear will be worn... Healthy babies will be born..."

Their musical sensibilities differ somewhat: André Weet tends toward folk and classic country influences in some songs, highlighting his mastery of acoustic arrangements and new wave pop sounds, while DavidBowman often employs more electric guitar and piano in his pieces, resulting in a classically-inspired avant-garde sound comprised of usually highly melodious compositions combined with unusually poetic lyrics. You need only look at their solo MySpace pages to recognize the differences in their musical tastes: André Weet (i.e., Daners) has befriended such musical acts as Doc Watson and his musical idol, Tim Hardin, along with some new wave gems from Britain and Germany, while DavidBowman (i.e., Rauhofer) counts among his favorite bands contemporary acts such as The Divine Comedy and Peach Mallow Burners. Still, even though their individual styles differ somewhat, the two Andrés have found plenty of common ground, with both artists focusing on introspective lyrics and effective use of electronic equipment such as the mellotron and other instruments. The two have traditionally composed, performed, arranged, and produced their respective solo acts almost entirely alone. Through the Maximilians they are now able to combine their talents and both write and produce songs together, while preserving their individual artistic identities expressed through their solo acts. As they put it on their website: Are we naïve idealists? Yes, and we don't want to be -- and cannot be – anything else. Since the earliest days of childhood, music has determined almost all areas of our lives. We have played in different bands, practiced with many home recordings, and now, finally, we have found a home for our different tastes and talents: The Maximilians.

The album wisely opens up with its epic track, "The Letters of Rosa Luxemburg," a keyboard-heavy stunner with vibrant energy and maximum atmosphere. The Andrés skillfully manage to make this less of a duet than a collective, as they like to call their band. Vocals start out with Herr Daners at the helm, allowing the listener to enjoy his uniquely smooth and gorgeous voice, which is seamlessly followed by the the clear-voiced juicy goodness of Herr Rauhofer. The refrain in Luxemburg is the most hauntingly memorable part of the song; with its powerful hammering of the drums and the Andrés' perfect melding of their voices into one, they have managed to create a somber song full of history and alarming beauty. Perhaps for shock value, Rosa Luxemburg is oddly followed by "Honey, Let the Good Times Roll," a country/folk rock track strongly reminiscent of The Traveling Wilburys. Daners's love of folk and country music surely contributed to this track, but Rauhofer doesn't seem to mind lending his strong vocals to the piece. "Beating Hard" is an example of a successful combination of the Andrés' musical styles, and showcases André Daners's velvety vox. "Los Amantes del Circulo Polar" is named for a 1990s Spanish film and is a folksy ballad a la Gordon Lightfoot. "Stunning Lessons" is a great example of a Weet-inspired track, replete with pop-synth elements and what sounds like some possible electronic assistance from Stephan Bauer. "The Late Days of Disco" is a catchy electronic number, and one of the stronger tracks on the album. It features great lyrics and keyboards, along with André Rauhofer's signature deep voice. If "The Letters of Rosa Luxemburg" is the epic masterpiece of the collection, "The Private Warfare" is the undisputed star of the album. These two songs embody the unique, original sound that is The Maximilians, and don't sound like anything but themselves, which is refreshing. Unfortunately the same can't be said for "A Life Complete," which is a bit uncomfortably Depeche Mode/New Order, but still worth a listen for Rauhofer's vocals. German outfit The Stupor recently did a fine remix of this song. If one were to name a single song by The Maximilians that is a perfect hybrid of the Andrés' musical styles, "The Chimney Song" is it. A duet, their voices perfectly complement each other on this track. The melody and acoustic format seems André Weet-inspired, while the tempo and beats seem Bowman. A highlight of the track is when Rauhofer breaks out into an unexpected but welcomed Bowmanesque electric guitar solo. "Chimney" is one of the better tracks on the album. However, for me, rounding out the top three after Luxemburg and Private Warfare is "Invading Your Beautiful Country," a simply thrilling piece with throbbing drums and crazy-hot bass. Rauhofer's offbeat lyrics and vocal interpretation seal the deal. Bottom line: The Maximilians are here and they're here to stay. It's futile to resist their invasion of your beautiful country, but don't worry -- you won't want to anyway.