I am always amazed and delighted with the variety and quality of German-language children’s music today. Entertaining and challenging children’s songs can be found in almost all styles, which will also delight the grown-ups. With their second album “Drachenkind”, the Freiburg band Lauschelieder is once again contributing to this lively diversity.
With the opener “Listen again”, the whole family is musically invited to immerse themselves in the album and to follow the musicians around Boris and Inga Lau, the two creative minds of the band, into a colorful world of fantastic stories and wonderful melodies. The “Dragon Child” is frightened, Count Dracula finds his great love with “Dracula Swing”, a gorilla becomes “Rudi Rockstar” with a roaring bass and air guitar and “Lilli Libelle” engages in a singing contest with Frieder to salsa rhythms Frog.
“Trollerallerum” takes you into an atmospheric fabulous world and expects the little ones to have unusual harmonies. “The Spirits of Uluru” also sound mystical with musical excursions into jazz, while in the “Sheep Disco” it just grooves pretty crazy when all the animals dance and sing in their own style. In between it becomes very calm and thoughtful with “Farewell” or the wonderful lullaby “Wiege Welle”.
In addition to Boris Lau and Maggie Horrer on vocals, who are sometimes supported by a children’s and a male choir, numerous musicians contribute to the special magic of this album. Because nothing is programmed here, everything from guitar and bass to tin whistle, clarinet, trombone and saxophone to digigeridoo and Latin percussion are recorded live. There is experimentation with keys and rhythms and new sound experiences are created in each piece.
But you also notice that not only passionate musicians are at work here, but also parents who compose and write for and with their children. “Drachenkind” has become an all-round convincing, colorful album for the whole family that can be enjoyed and rediscovered over and over again.
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