STILL SMILING

TEHO TEARDO AND BLIXA BARGELD – STILL SMILING

Release date: Italy: April 22nd
Release date: GAS territories/Germany, Austria, Switzerland – June 28th
Release date: England: July 1st

Written by: Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld
Arranged by: Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld

(a composition of handwriting sketches (m. beatrice cicchetti) and photos (thomas rabsch) for ‘alone with the moon’ version by teho teardo and blixa bargeld

This is a quite unique collaboration, an unexpected one between the italian composer Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld, leader of Einstürzende Neubauten and former Bad Seeds. They first met during the realization of Ingiuria, a theatre pièce and right after that they collaborated on a song for a soundtrack, “A Quite Life”. That song started the whole process of writing and producing an album together where songs and more experimental pieces could find a common ground.

The original use of strings: cello, violin, guitars, a full string quartet diverts the traditional perception of those classic instruments when they deal with electronics and the result is emotionally moving.

The album has been written and recorded between Berlin and Rome, it took nearly two years to be made, Teho and Blixa worked next to each other choosing carefully every sound, every word and silence.

There are 12 songs on Still Smiling, including a new version of A Quiet Life and a cover of Alone With The Moon by The Tiger Lilies.

Amongst collaborators there are The Balanescu Quartet and cellist Martina Bertoni.

Lyrics are visionary and are sung in english, german and italian, Blixa reveals a really personal and intimate side to the listener this time.

Still Smiling is an album whose special vision covers all the sky between Rome and Berlin, daytime and nocturnal.

It’ll be released on Teho’s label Specula on april 22nd in Italy and it’ll be distributed all over Europe on June 28th 2013.

There’s also an italian tour in May: 7th Roma, Circolo degli Artisti, 9th Milano, Alcatraz, 10th Moncalieri/Torino, Audiodrome, 11th Bologna, Senza Filtro where Teho and Blixa will be joined on stage by cellist Martina Bertoni.