Review: Conic Rose - Heller Tag (Conic Rose)

Conic Rose's debut album 'Heller Tag' is one of those 'WOW!' moments as if everyone from Gilles Peterson to James Acaster had just found their new "immcaulate" album!

If you can image Kruder & Dorfmeister and Cinematic Orchestra's lovechild, this collection of jazzy, ambient, hip-trippy electronica OST instrumental pop is pretty close.

We've already raved about 'Gleisdreieck', 'Goodbye' and the magnificent 'Learn To Be Cool' [Miles Davis meets 'Teardrops' via 'Baba O'Riley' - this is the only way to learn to be cool] but you'll be hard pressed to find another 12 perfect tracks this side of next year.

Others have mentioned Bach, Bonobo, Jon Hassell, Nils-Petter Molvaer and they're all there along with Can ('Hope In The Crypto Crash') or the Balearic dawn of 'Nie Wieder Knutschen'; you could say it's a modern 'free' jazz as it's open season. 

For more information on the band and the earlier singles, check the links above and after such a miserable start to the year, this is a the best antidote to get on a new high.

Great artwork too!

Artist: Conic Rose 

Title: Heller Tag

Release date: 17 February, 2023

Label: Conic Rose

Cat. No: ConicRoseS04

Review: Conic Rose - Learn To Be Cool / Goodbye

Is that 'Teardrops' you hear in 'Learn To Be Cool' or is it a modern version of the "Pioneering jazz-rock, progressive, psychedelic, funk & pop" group, Ian Carr's Nucleus or an electronic jazz version of Cinematic Orchestra? 

We'll it is hard to try and tie down some bands to a unique/tribal genre and Conic Rose is definitely one of them. 

Love 'Learn To Be Cool' as the 'Teardrops' sounding line is almost like a taped Short Wave radio show with super lovely keys and a funky bassline; quasi 'Baba O'Riley' meets OST. 

This German band have all the background of playing arenas filled with fans of pop stars Clueso, Jan Delay and Samy Deluxe together with supporting jazz bands too. It's German; it's post-Compost/Jazzanova/Sonar Kollektiv/MPS Records and it's great. 

'Goodbye' is similar in a glitchy/bruk/downtempo 'Miles' jazz way which is super cool. 

Album due soon and don't forget last year's release Gleisdreieck / Chopin Rosé / Honeylake but you've got to learn to be cool first.

Artist: Conic Rose 

Title: Learn To Be Cool / Goodbye

Release date: 13 January, 2023

Label: Conic Rose

Cat. No: ConicRoseS04

Reveiw: Conic Rose - Gleisdreieck (Conic Rose)

It's always great to hear great music from new bands/groups/co-operatives but it's even better when it comes from an unexpected location.

When it comes to jazz, outside of the US, you'd probably think of the 'hot spots' post covid are London, Helsinki (WeJazz) and Melbourne.  Aiming to put Berlin back on the list is Conic Rose as they launch a 3-track single ahead of next years' album,  'Heller Tag'.

If you check out the band's collective palmarès of who they have played with, it's a proper collection of who's who like Michael Wollny, NDR Bigband, Nils Landgren (you'll find these on the national institution that is the ACT label) and at the other extreme is Udo Lindenberg, Samy Deluxe and the Stegreif.Orchester.

And together they are like a mix (or should that be a match) between The Cinematic Orchestra (Ninja Tune) and Matthew Herbert (BBC electronics, Accidental, !K7 Records) that should be signed up to Compost or Matthew Halsall's Gondwana Records; some have even mentioned Radiohead - but that'd be the good bits when Thom isn't singing.

'Gleisdreieck' is a glichy bruk dreamscape that mixes the trumpet and flugelhorn with electric guitars and electronics in an expanded Portico Quartet.  

Two more singles are to follow, 'Chopin Rosé' follows in similar vein and it clearly re-imagined and a bit more OST and the set is finished off by the best of the lot, the romantic 'Honeylake' with Döben doing his best Miles.

The debut LP which will be released on vinyl, CD, cassette and digital formats in February 2023.

Line-up: Konstantin Döben (tr, fgh) • Johannes Arzberger (p, electronics) • Franziska Aller (b) • Bertram Burkert (git) • Silvan Strauß (dr) 

Artist: Conic Rose 

Title: Gleisdreieck / Chopin Rosé / Honeylake

Release date: 12 December, 2022

Label: Conic Rose

Cat. No: ConicRoseS03

Format: Digital