5.17.2011

SIBYLLE

Sibylle Baier recorded 14 songs in her living room on a reel-to-reel machine in Germany in the early seventies. At the time, she shared tapes of these songs with a few friends, among them was Wim Wenders. After acting in one of his films and recording her lovely songs, she set off to live life and raise babies. Her son uncovered the tapes this past decade and gave copies to family and friends, where after they were released for everyone (because they are so AMAZING). Thank you, Robby Baier.

Sibylle writes such neat English language lyrics. There is so much more play in her words as she allows for language to be more fluid and meaning less stoic. I wonder why she chose to sing in English. It is particularly curious since there doesn't seem to be an intended audience outside of her community in Stuttgart. But maybe she dreamed or maybe she just liked the sound of a foreign language on her tongue. Whatever the reason it's perfect!

A sample:

Tonight, when I came home from work,
there he unforeseen,
sat in my kitchen buttering himself a bread
and the cat was on his knee and
smiled at me (Tonight)

A favorite:

When I grow old I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled
(Says Elliott)

Another:

Forgett came in my house yesterday (Forgett)





Sibylle makes the most pretty music. When I was a working girl and commuting home every night on the freeways of Los Angeles, I would put her CD on and feel (she even has a song about DRIVING). Tonight always felt like tonight. It eased me back into being human. There is so much internal movement in Sibylle's songs. She makes my brain sway.

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