My Claudia Brücken radar went off earlier today, and I visited her website and saw that her sixth album was nearing release. It drops officially on November 5th. Of course, it will join the other five in the Record Cell in due time, along with the many dozens of round spinning Brücken things. I’ve heard of several projects of hers in the pipeline but this is the first to emerge following her career consolidating “This Happened/Combined” period of 2010-2012. The brief is that the album will be another cover project similar to “Another Language” with just a single partner for musical accompaniment. On that 2004 edition, it was ZTT avant gardist Andrew Poppy providing the accompaniment on piano and guitar. This time it’s producer Stephen Hague. Well, well. We’ve been thinking about Mr. Hague recently. The sometimes likable, sometimes eeeeevil Stephen Hague. If this new work is anything like the “Thank You” single he produced in 2010 for Ms. Brücken, then it will sit at the right hand of the angels as one of his finest efforts. That song was so magnificent, that for the first time ever, I am hugely anticipating a Hague production!

There[there] | UK | CD | 2012

1. Mysteries Of Love
2. Memories Of A Color
3. The Day I See You Again
4. Everyone Says ‘Hi’
5. One Summer Dream
6. Crime
7. The Road To Happiness
8. King’s Cross
9. No One To Blame
10. And The Sun Will Shine
11. Whispering Pines

The artists’s website says that songs by the likes of Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, Julee Cruise, and [be still my beating heart] The Lilac Time are included in the program, and indeed, I recognize all of these titles. I’m particularly looking forward to see what she does with Bowie’s winsome “Everyone Says ‘Hi'” from the excellent, but wholly darker “Heathen” album. The other bands mentioned as being covered in the program include the Bee Gees, Dubstar, ELO [?!], The Band [??!!], and one Stina Nordenstam. Since I don’t recognize seven of the titles, that leaves a lot of uncharted territory for me to discover. I honestly don’t know who among those performed which songs originally.

The budget [even mine] is currently under attack by Elite Republican shock troops in advance of the US elections, so I may have to wait a bit before getting my hands on this one. But they’re not making this easy for me to do. There is also a limited edition vinyl pressing of the 180g variety. This edition is being pressed in an edition of just 500, with the first 200 being signed by Ms. Brücken and Mr. Hague. To sweeten the pot further, it looks like this:

There[there] | UK | LP | 2012

Side 1

1. Mysteries Of Love
2. Memories Of A Color
3. The Day I See You Again
4. Everyone Says ‘Hi’
5. One Summer Dream
6. Crime

Side 2

1. The Road To Happiness
2. King’s Cross
3. No One To Blame
4. And The Sun Will Shine
5. Whispering Pines

Naturally, the vinyl is available only from the artist’s web store here. So you know what to do. Fortunately, Ms. Brücken is eschewing the Vinyl Factory methodology of excessively exploiting the faithful and this retails for a now-moderate £24.99 [worldwide shipping included] and not £100 [and up]! My only hope is that I can find $40 [£24.99] in the budget before it’s sold out; never mind the signed copy! As a solace of sorts, buyers who get the standard CD from the Claudia Brücken web store have a signing option at a slight charge.

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