Sturm

Maximilian Hecker

Sea of Silence - Revisit

Polyester (Remix)

The Whereabouts of Love (Remix)

Neverheart

Two-toned Love (part I [Remix])

Long-lost Crazy Love

Falling Star

Two-toned Love (part I)

Headstone

Wretched Love Songs

The Best of Maximilian Hecker

Spellbound Scenes of My Cure (Bonus Track Version)

Spellbound Scenes of My Cure

Mirage of Bliss (Bonus Track Version)

Mirage of Bliss

Rare & Unreleased

Favourite Demos

I'll Be A Virgin, I'll Be A Mountain

I Am Nothing But Emotion...

One Day

Live Radio Sessions

Lady Sleep

Rose

Infinite Love Songs

HEADSTONE, another one of Maximilian Hecker’s "Wretched Love Songs", is (after "Untouchable" from 2015) already his second duet with American singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata, this extraordinary woman who is leading a secluded life in a cabin out in the woods of Upstate New York, whose soulful, breathy voice makes your flesh crawl, who curiously is of American, Japanese, Italian and German ancestry and who Hecker had met and befriended at a joint concert at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul in January 2011. The two artists, both born in 1977, share not only a huge following in East Asia, they also feel to be kindred spirits, since both tend to be jokesters in their private life, however, when it comes to their musical and poetic expression, they’re rather drawn to their dark sides, their sorrowfulness and melancholy. Yamagata and Hecker have joined a tongue-in-cheek competition of which of them is "the most miserable". There’s no winner to date. In terms of lyrics, HEADSTONE might sound like a classic Maximilian Hecker song, having chosen the morbid imagery of the cemetery in order to portray the petty situation of someone futilely trying to gain his partner’s recognition and empathy, but when it comes to the sound of HEADSTONE, Hecker seems to venture out into previously unknown territory, namely Rachael Yamagata’s truly American, partly country music inspired world; one might even conjecture that HEADSTONE had been written by his half-Japanese duet partner. However, Hecker likes to point out that he has not only written HEADSTONE, but even dreamed most of the song's chord sequence and melody during a stay of his at an East German youth hostel – which, in a sense, could be seen as his equivalent to Yamagata’s hippie-like cabin in the woods. Hence, HEADSTONE is definitely inspired by Rachael Yamagata’s work and might even be Maximilian Hecker’s secret artistic declaration of love to his, how he calls her, "favorite female singer".

Maximilian Hecker's got a new hairdo. "That's the real reason for me to release a Best-of album", he babbles. "I've got this thesis that one takes such great pains to write the songs and all, but the real fame is made only possible by one's hairdo." This is one of the typical Maximilian Hecker moments. This guy writes the most heartbreaking, most wonderful songs in the whole universe, but regarding interpersonal action, he often seems to be an autistic person. And he likes to sell himself short. THE BEST OF MAXIMILIAN HECKER features 30 of Hecker's most critically- acclaimed and best-known songs and portrays a career of now 15 years that started when Hecker, after one year of making music in the streets of Berlin, signed with famous berlin record label Kitty-yo Records who released his debut album "Infinite Love Songs" in 2001. This album launched his career and even made it into the top ten list of the New York Times’ album of the year contest in 2001. Working with producers like Youth (The Verve, Embrace, Paul McCartney), Gareth Jones (e.g. Depeche Mode) and Guy Sternberg (e.g. Jimi Tenor), Hecker has released eight studio albums to date. According to Hecker, his music is all about emotional intensity. "No way I suffer all the time and need to communicate that to people. That would be dreadful, wouldn't it? I simply want to optimise my compositions by designing them as intense as possible." And he continues: "I write songs, because, to emotionally survive, I need to unblock the channel to my soul with the help of music to finally be able feel and to finally be able to express my deepest longing. A longing for disembodiment, a longing for an unsubstantial infinity, a longing for reunification with a lost entirety."

德國歌手Maximilian Hecker暌違兩年全新專輯《Mirage of Bliss》

The release of RARE AND UNRELEASED and FAVOURITE DEMOS represents the fulfilment of a long-held wish for Maximilian Hecker. After constantly being confronted in the studio with the question of whether the brash lightness of a song's initial (home-)recording could also be achieved on a second, professional take, on his last album "I Am Nothing But Emotion, No Human Being, No Son, Never Again Son", Hecker decided for the first time in his career against making a professional studio recording of the new material. This led to the surprising result that in all the album's imperfection, it suddenly no longer appeared imperfect as a whole. This success, along with the fact that Hecker became his own boss with the founding of his own label Blue Soldier Records in February 2010, thus giving him total freedom, is the occasion for now presenting the self-recorded demo versions of 27 songs from his first five albums, as well as twelve non-album tracks that were recorded under the same circumstances, most of which have never before been released in Europe.

In these troubled times it's nice to be reminded that mankind does indeed have a soul. Relief here comes in the unlikely form of 29-year old German uber-songcrafter Maximilian Hecker on his first ever V2 Music release – I'LL BE A VIRGIN, I'LL BE A MOUNTAIN. Although he shares mellow-indie roots with such artists as Elliot Smith, The Eels and Grant Lee Phillips, the music on this latest album reveals itself to have hidden within it, the potential mass-appeal of a Dido or an Anthony and the Johnsons. It certainly takes the listener to the same place, no question. In terms of the actual songwriting on the record, it's been said that Maximilian is now poking his head up to the lofty heights of Chris Martin territory. (In terms of haircuts though it’s definitely 1-0 to Germany. This man has a fantastic barnet). After five years and three albums at the centre of Euro-indie awareness, Maximilian was brewing on something great, and here it is with bells on. The breakout album of Germany's only modern singer-songwriter of international significance was surely only a matter of time away. Born in 1977 in Baden-Württemberg, the bloke from the Black Forest began writing his own songs when he was only 17. The dozen or so years in between have added only wisdom and warmer pop sensibilities. This guy is actually getting better and better with each release. Now that's what we like. His first label Kitty-yo saw him playing in 2001 at the open square at Hackescher Markt, where Maximilian was using the popular space in central (formerly GDR-) Berlin as a stage for his one-man show. He was signed on the spot. In the following months the buzz spread across the German capital. It quickly became more fashionable to spend an evening being moved and swayed at a Maximilian Hecker show than the usual brash night out in the nightclub district. Although still grazing at "grass roots" level, the young singer-songwriter then charted surprisingly well and begun selling out shows in other major European cities. A 35 country world tour ensued, sponsored by Goethe Institute, the nation's benefactor of national art and culture abroad. The Germans were proud of their introspective son and wanted the world to see him. The result? He melted hearts and pants everywhere he went, and fan clubs appeared across the globe. But despite this, Maximilian was often seen as a lonely, melancholy individual. Hecker explains that in former times he was indeed content with his longings, retreating into his own "ivory tower". These days, however, he says he actively seeks the company of other people instead of avoiding them, in his endeavour to "become a human being." (It’s okay mate, no rush … just keep writing those songs). I'LL BE A VIRGIN, I'LL BE A MOUNTAIN – the title alone suggests that there may be kooky genius at work: "The two metaphors of a mountain and a virgin are about my longing for eternity and purity", explains Maximilian. "It's decisive in art to be able to anticipate these states. After all, achieving those static states of purity and eternity is not granted to me in the real, dynamic world. With the help of my songs, I can overcome this dynamism in the real world: by allowing my lyrical self to experience this state of statics". Although the song titles are sometimes eccentric (as are the musings of their author), the melodies themselves are beautifully direct and honest and have the chops to cut through to one's emotional centre faster than you can say "Mr. Blunt, please come in, your time is up." They have a rare immediate impact, whereby the listener is instantly again drawn in to the same emotional place listen after listen – a skill not often seen, certainly today. Pink Floyd could do it. Buckley could too. And so can Maximilian. Although these three artists actually sound wildly different to each other, you only need to listen to I'LL BE A VIRGIN, I'LL BE A MOUNTAIN to see the obvious connections. The album opener "Snow White" stops one's day-to-day active mind dead in its tracks. From there, Hecker grips the listener gently by the hand with a velvet glove and a velvet voice and pulls us deep into his world for the next 45 minutes. Although as soon revealed, it’s deep into our own world (and thoughts) he actually ends up leading us. His voice could well be the finest thing to come out of the Black Forest since cake – and of course it’s just as rich and sweet. But for the first time, on this album, Hecker delivers two voices from the same throat, one rich, the other sweet. His falsetto has an angelic, almost Irish tinge to it and at times sounds rather like Conor Deasy of The Thrills (whose own voice is indeed the nicest standout thing about that band.) When he sings in chest voice we are transported back to the greatest singer-songwriters of the 70s – James Taylor, Jackson Browne and gang. This album is the first time he has gone for it in this new deeper voice. Producer Guy Sternberg may have had a lot to do with this. He also convinced Maximilian Hecker to use session musicians on his record for the first time ever. He certainly has brought out new and improved things from Mr. Hecker. There is no doubt, this is definite breakout territory for the talented young German, and the results are all good.

玫瑰是Maximilian Hecker於2003年發佈的專輯，是經典的英式流行專輯。浪漫中帶着一種憂傷，但Maximilian Hecker確實賦予了它們更為純粹的別樣意義：古典韻味的鋼琴、通透的假聲、瀰漫的稀薄情感、獨特的曲式行進，一起聆聽感受Maximilian Hecker對“玫瑰”音樂的詮釋吧。

專輯 | 單曲