Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld

Still Smiling - CD, Double LP gatefold cover with download code, Download

This is a quite unique collaboration, an unexpected one between the italian composer Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld, leader of Einstürzende Neubauten and former Bad Seeds. They first met during the realization of Ingiuria, a theatre pièce and right after that they collaborated on a song for a soundtrack, "A Quite Life". That song started the whole process of writing and producing an album together where songs and more experimental pieces could find a common ground.
The original use of strings: cello, violin, guitars, a full string quartet diverts the traditional perception of those classic instruments when they deal with electronics and the result is emotionally moving.
The album has been written and recorded between Berlin and Rome, it took nearly two years to be made, Teho and Blixa worked next to each other choosing carefully every sound, every word and silence.
There are 12 songs on Still Smiling, including a new version of A Quiet Life and a cover of Alone With The Moon by The Tiger Lilies.
Amongst collaborators there are The Balanescu Quartet and cellist Martina Bertoni.
Lyrics are visionary and are sung in english, german and italian, Blixa reveals a really personal and intimate side to the listener this time.
Still Smiling is an album whose special vision covers all the sky between Rome and Berlin, daytime and nocturnal.
It'll be released on Teho's label Specula on april 22nd in Italy and it'll be distributed all over Europe on June 28th 2013.
There's also an italian tour in May: 7th Roma, Circolo degli Artisti, 9th Milano, Alcatraz, 10th Moncalieri/Torino, Audiodrome, 11th Bologna, Senza Filtro where Teho and Blixa will be joined on stage by cellist Martina Bertoni.

Tracklist:

1 Mi Scusi

2 Come Up And See Me

3 Axolotl

4 Buntmetalldiebe

5 Still Smiling

6 Nocturnalie

7 Alone With The Moon

8 What if...?

9 Konjunktiv II

10 Nur Zur Erinnerung

11 A Quiet Life

12 Defenestrazioni

Here's the video by Chiara Battistini of Mi Scusi, the first track from the album http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXzcBpIGKas&feature=youtu.be

Teho Teardo - baritone guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, rhodes piano, synths, piano, percussions, electronics, programming

Blixa Bargeld - voice, hammond organ, clavichord, electric slide guitar, water percussion, re-arrangements, glockenspiel

featuring:

Martina Bertoni - Cello

The Balanescu Quartet 

Alexander Balanescu - violin

James Shenton - violin

Katie Wilkinson - viola

Nick Holland - cello

Elena De Stabile - violin

Elisabetta Pacini - italian accent voice

Recorded in Berlin at Anderebaustelle studio and Rome at Basement recordings, 2012/2013

Shots

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