…Kind, sei nicht bang, KINBOM & KESSNER Anthropos
Kinbom & Kessner Anthropos is available on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify…
by Walter Price
Buckle up, you’re about to experience an album unlike anything else you’ve witnessed so far, this year. The bluesy, folk, indie rock/pop album “Anthropos” from Swedish/German duo Kinbom & Kessner is self-described as, “…the beginning and end of the Anthropocene, takes a close look at human nature and outlines the symptoms of a dawning future in various utopian and dystopian facets.”
While this sounds weighty, it is, but there’s also a sense of a night out in a lounge watching a cautionary tale being told. And as odd as it may sound, the German languaged album is intertwined with a sense of hope. Which, in this post-pandemic era, is a road well worth traveling. As humans, our own worst enemies are ourselves, but why and how can we prevent our own self-inflicted annihilation… of course an alt-pop album won’t solve this ever-increasing conundrum we find ourselves in, but, for a while, “Anthropos”, will allow some conversational exacpism.
In an expanded quote provided to the GTC, the LP’s players are noted, “The German-language songs of the duo, which consists of Berliner theatre actress/writer/director Sonja Kessner and Swedish composer/lap steel guitarist Fredrik Kinbom, combines the tradition of Brecht/Weill and political songwriters with cinematic lap steel soundscapes and band arrangements full of imagination. The album features a fine cast of international guests from the world of music and theatre, including Angela Winkler (“The Tin Drum”), Axel Werner (Berliner Ensemble), Chris Farr (Sophie Auster), Andreas Dormann (Moka Efti Orchestra), Hans-Jörn Brandenburg (Robert Wilson, Tom Waits, The Tiger Lillies), Paul Brody (John Zorn), Matti Bye and Larry Mullins (Iggy Pop, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds).”
The captivating “Anthropos” is an album for conscience listeners and you can stream it now, at the GTC.
KINBOM & KESSNER Anthropos
Artists photo by Jenny Fitz
All songs written and arranged by Fredrik Kinbom & Sonja Kessner.
Additional arrangements by Hans-Jörn Brandenburg (for Alexandria, Im Westen was Neues, Knowledge is Night), Paul Brody (for Princess, Grün ist die Revolution), Matti Bye (for Wo die Narcissists bloom”), Andreas Dormann (for “Hydra”, “Im Westen was Neues”), Chris Farr (for “Exodus”) and Hannah Moule (for “Exodus”).
Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Fredrik Kinbom at Madame Vega’s Boudoir, Berlin.
Additional recordings in Berlin by Chris Farr, Paul Brody and Joe Talia.
Hannah Moule’s vocals for “Exodus” recorded at The Moule Sanctuary, Somerset, England by Hannah Moule.
Synth for “Roboterliebe”, Hammond organ, piano and synth for “Where the Narcissists Bloom” and Hammond organ for “Im Westenwas Neues” recorded at Studio Barnängen, Stockholm, Sweden by Matti Bye.
Photos and graphic design by Kinbom & Kessner
fredrik kinbom / website / facebook
“Kinbom & Kessner is a cooperation project between the Swedish lap steel musician and composer Fredrik Kinbom (Gemma Ray, Sarah Blasko, etc.) and the German theater maker Sonja Kessner.” – bio