Blaudzun
Bayonne, New Jersey, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
n Scene Report, musicians from all over the globe fill us in on what’s going on sonically in their hometowns. This week CMJ 2012 Artist Blaudzun gives the scoop on the Netherlands. Blaudzun plays Santos Party House on Tuesday, October 16, as part of CMJ.
- CMJ Networks
Whew! It’s been an intense, neck and neck race between London’s Mt. Wolf and the Netherlands’ Blaudzun in our Artist of the Week poll. But the voters have spoken, and the Dutch indie rocker came out on top! Congratulations to Blaudzun, MTV Iggy’s Artist of the Week!
Blaudzun may have an icy stare and a mouthful of a name for Americans, but the continent is still warming up to his new album Heavy Flowers, which is slated for US release in January. In the meantime, the singer/songwriter is playing US dates, getting US buzz, and garnering all kinds of comparisons to the anthemic, North American folk rock pantheon.
Check out his track “Elephants,” and stay tuned for a Q&A. - MTV Iggy
Quotes reviews Heavy Flowers Dutch Press
3voor12 (Album of the Week):
“Heavy Flowers is next big step for Blaudzun”
Lust For Life (Music Magazine)
“Melancholy, gorgeous and addictive”
Oor Magazine (Music Magazine)
"Incredibly beautiful."
NRC (national daily)
"One of the most ambitious records of Dutch origin. Rare emotional depth."
De Volkskrant (national daily)
"At times monumental album."
Nieuwe Revu (weekly opinion magazine)
"A record of constant high level. Each song contains vocal lines to cherish."
Algemeen Dagblad (national Daily)
“modest songs with a beautiful twist”
Platomania (monthly Music magazine)
“From the energetic opener Flame On My Head to the romantic nocturne of Elephants... A true masterpiece”
Nu.nl (national biggest news/entertainment website)
“Heavy Flowers is the first essential album of Dutch soil in 2012”
Musicfrom.nl (online Music magazine)
“Heavenly beautiful”
Roar eZine (online Music magazine)
“thoughtful compositions, strong lyrics and astonishing vocals”
Gitarist (monthly special interest magazine ->guitars)
“a beautiful record that will appeal to many people”
8 Weekly (online Music magazine)
“each song has a specific strength and together they create a delicate atmosphere”
- Various
Discography
Albums:
Heavy Flowers 2012
Seadrift Soundmachine 2010
Blaudzun 2008
Singles:
Flame On My Head 2012
Solar 2012
Photos
Bio
This coming May, Dutch singer-songwriter Blaudzun will release his 3rd and most dynamic album to date - Heavy Flowers (V2 Benelux). On this record his remarkable voice, haunting melodies and dramatic string arrangements converge with a love for folk and art rock again surpassing his previous work.
Ever since the release of his debut album in 2008, singer-songwriter Johannes Sigmond goes by the name of Blaudzun. He surprised music fans and critics, and received rave reviews, which he was able to improve on with his second album Seadrift Soundmachine (2010). This second, widely acclaimed album and subsequent live shows created his definitive breakthrough in the Netherlands. His music has been likened to indie pop and folk rock and is aesthetically compared to Arcade Fire as well as to Ryan Adams and Antony & The Johnsons. The various comparisons show that it is difficult to stick just one label on this mans work.
2007 - 2008?
Johannes Sigmond (Arnhem, Netherlands - 1974) played for years in various bands and projects before he continued as a singer-songwriter in 2006. In 2007 as Blaudzun, a name taken from a relatively unknown Danish cyclist from the 70s, he was working on a special collection of songs, originally intended to be a soundtrack for a midnight car drive. He headed south to Barcelona to work on new material. In his residence near Amsterdam he recorded most of the songs in a small bedroom, while adding some sessions in several studios in the Netherlands and hotel rooms in Barcelona, Spain. Critics and music fans alike labeled his self-titled album (V2 Records, 2008) as a surprising and wonderful debut.
Blaudzun toured the Benelux countries that year including a slot at the Metropolis Festival while also supporting Norwegian singer Ane Brun and Mark Eitzel's American Music Club.
2009
?In September 2009 he finished recording Seadrift Soundmachine (V2 Records, 2010) during sessions with The City of Prague Orchestra - known for its film scores (Das Leben Der Anderen, and David Lynch Lost Highway). Blaudzun again wrote most of the songs in his beloved Barcelona and recorded in different studios in the Netherlands and Prague.
INDIEMUSE.COM:?"This is definitely one of the best releases of 2010."
NU.NL:?"It is a stunning successor - definitely and a must-have. Almost impossible to believe that he is Dutch. "
NIEUWE REVU:?"The sound of his album transcends all national boundaries, a richly arranged song like Sunshine Parade fits easily next to Arcade Fire."
2010 2011
?Blaudzun made big impressions at the major summer festivals in Holland, including Into The Great Wide Open and Lowlands. He ended the year with a sold out club tour. Heavy Flowers will be released in Holland in January and in Belgium in February of 2012. The rest of Europe will follow suit in May.
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