Every year the Bundesvision Song Contest lineup consists mainly of artists who cater to the "norm". They are competent musicians performing pleasant enough music that allows the listener to pass a few moments of his or her life in a not-disagreeable manner. Every year, though, there are one or two artists with whom I fall in love because they deliver a song that goes beyond simply possessing a pleasant veneer. Their songs deliver an emotional punch either lyrically or, more likely as my German is more than a little rudimentary, musically. This year, the Alin Coen Band delivers that punch with their song Ich war hier.
Perhaps the best way to describe Alin Coen is as a singer/guitarist who delivers emotionally potent folk-tinged melodies in a manner similar to Joni Mitchell or Indigo Girls. That is not to say that she simply mimics an already well-established genre. Instead, she uses this genre as a launching pad from which to deliver tightly crafted songs that are sung with a mixture of deep emotion and obvious joy. In a world dominated by synth-pop, hip-hop, and all of the glitz that typically accompanies these genres, Alin Coen emerged onto the German music scene seemingly from out of nowhere on the strength of the buzz generated by her low-key appearances on German music television programs. With songs like Ich war hier, it is not hard to see why.
Prediction: The Alin Coen Band is not your typical TV music extravaganza artist. However, Ich war hier is a fine showcase of Ms. Coen's band's talent. With an album currently doing well in the marketplace, I predict that the cream of Bundesvision will rise to the top, putting Ich war hier easily in the top third - although probably still well shy of top of the heap.
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