Die Kompilation «My Melancholy Friends» stellt großartige neue, teils noch wenig bekannte Indiebands und Songwriter vor. Das Spektrum reicht von der Berliner Künstlerin Kitty Solaris, über Neu-Entdeckungen wie Peter Folk und MissinCat, bis hin zu internationalen Künstlern wie Noiserv aus Portugal und Ian Fisher aus den USA. Bernhard Eder, Singer- und Songwriter aus Wien, versammelt auf «My Melancholy Friends» Künstler, die ihn seit seinem zweijährigen Aufenthalt in Berlin begleiten – kennengelernt bei Auftritten, oder über gemeinsame Bekannte.
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Release Österreich: 30. 4. 2009
Release Deutschland: 15. 5. 2009
www.tronrecords.com

Ijen Martin's brand new album, "Earth is Fun" can be described in two words: life affirming. Our favourite track, Sell what you love the most will leave even the most hardened cynics clapping along and dreaming of carefree days. Download the track for free on Ijen's page (link in menu above), and try to resist!

Journalists please note: if you'd like to review the album, it is available for you to download - please go to the press page on this site for more information.

Ijen Martin "Earth is Fun" - available digital only from 11. November!

The return of German lyrics to Indie Pop!!! Hooray! We can't believe it either, but thank your lucky stars Superleutnant have arrived. In the tradition of fabled German bands such as Tocotronic and Britta comes four self-confessed enemies of boredom. The Berlin-based quartet deliver 11 tracks packed with catchy riffs and melodies that you can shake your tambourine to. Oh yes indeed.

Catch Superleutnant at their record release party: 30. Oktober in the Machinenhaus, Kulturbauerei Berlin. The CD will be available everywhere across Germany from 21. November.

Bernhard Eder's new single "Now's the Time" is out now and has already been added to rotation at FM4 in Austria! The song is a beguiling mix of driving acoustic guitar, hand-claps, brushes-on-the-snare and a little bit of banjo to boot. The perfect song for a road-trip across the country, it is - of course - from the forthcoming album "Tales from the East Side" which will be out on October, 24th on Solaris Empire.

Bernhard is also touring across Germany and Austria - check out his
Tourdates and listen to some great music at:

myspace.com/bernhardeder

To coincide with the cinema release of 'BerlinSong', Solaris Empire are proud to announce we are releasing the soundtrack to this beautiful film. 'BerlinSong' is a documentary about 6 songwriters who came from all over the globe to Berlin - for music. Film-maker Uli Schueppel asked Kat Frankie, Crazy for Jane, Einar Stenseng, Tommy Simatupang, Nathan Vanderpool and Fancie to write a song for Berlin, and captured the artists recording processes, concert preparations and their thoughts about their adopted home.

The CD release features the 6 songs penned by the artists, and covers a remarkable range: from the brooding ballad of Einar Stenseng, to Tommy Simatupang's inspired shout-it-out-loud chorus and Fancie's choir - comprised of the coolest schoolkids you'll ever meet. A 16-page booklet featuring photographs from award-winning Norwegian photographer Marie Sjøvold is also included.

'BerlinSong - songs from the film' will be available in stores from August 29 and online from October 2!

Plans are underway for Giovanni Ferrario to return to Germany for a December tour. This time round, Giovanni will be touring as a dynamic trio - Guitar, Bass and Drums. Whilst previously known for his band "Micevice", Giovanni's ground-breaking solo debut, "Headquarter Delirium" features an eclectic mix of vintage 60s sounds, Psychedelic rock and a touch of electronic noise. Tour dates to be announced soon!

Our July release is the debut solo work from Vincenz Kokot - singer and guitarist from Berlin post-rockers Polaroid Liquide. "Shine in the Dark" is a letter to Vincenz's imaginary (or not so imaginary) sister Grenadine. A minimal album, pure of heart and vision that features ukulele, driving blues guitar and a soft voice that sounds like the wind through the trees. A magical and suprising album about postcards and snapshots and the secrets within matchboxes. Release date 18. July 2008!

Berlin's Queen of lo-fi rock, Kitty Solaris is back in the studio this month working on what is to be her 5th recorded offering, "My Home Is My Disco". (How brilliant is the name!) Fabian and Rocco at Popshutz Studio in Berlin are on engineering duties, with the kind assistance of Holger Müller - one of Berlin's finest guitar players - as well as super-producer Gordon Raphael (he's the fellow that produced the Strokes first album). Rumour has it that the title track is perfect for dancing like a crazy person in your living room when no one is watching. The album is scheduled for release later this year. How will we ever wait that long...?!!

Solaris Empire is proud to announce the release of Giovanni Ferrario's solo debut! For those who don't know - Giovanni is a cult figure in the Italian Underground scene. While better known for his work with his band Micevice, as well as being PJ Harvey's current Ax-man, 'Headquarter Delirium' is a force to be reckoned with. A homage to the sounds of the 60s and 70s, 'Headquarter Delirium' is a mix of psychedelic rock, electronic experimentation and classic songwriting. The release date is set for 25th April 2008.

The debut album from Kat Frankie is now available everywhere in Germany! The first single, "The Tops" has been added to rotation at M94.5 in München, and the early reviews have been enthusiastic to say the least. The album is available online and in the shops. Kat is touring right across Germany during February to promote the release - click on 'Kat Frankie' (above) to read the live dates near you.

UPDATE: Rolling Stone - 4 stars!