"When the moon calls me, I stay awake, because I can't sleep tonight. When the moon calls me, I follow its bright glow all night long." (Quote: When the Moon) The songs by Bünger are felt from the gut. They tell of the movement of life, of the joy of participation, of the small, fine moments of a meeting. They document fascinating excursions through the night: sensitively captured, without flowery poetry, focused on the friendly light of the morning.
"Life cannot be optimized, it just happens." Bünger listens; how he speaks, how he thinks, how he ruthlessly defies moral principles. He does not want to come across as a new Buddha. He wants to break free from what seems right and important at first glance, but on second thought only serves the societal, normalized framework. "My freedom begins in the mind and is lived in the heart."
People are far too tense; they are greedy, wanting to extract too much from themselves, wanting to shine. But the night does not stand in any glorious splendor: it sucks, pulses, and lives. And with it all those adventurers, romantics, and losers. "We keep telling ourselves to get a grip on our lives and yet often fail due to overly strict resolutions, inner demons, and surprising strokes of fate. In the end, it probably suffices to simply have a lot of fun and to fail a little better each time."
Bünger does not express himself beautifully or pastorally, but openly, directly, and unflinchingly. He takes a beautiful melody and sings about the wistful and melancholic aspects of the glittering future and about the fascinating and warm elements in this rough, hard world. His songs are not bedtime stories, but sensitively captured and soberly reflected moments of decisions. "Especially in difficult times, during farewells or in defeats, I have learned the most for my life. Nothing is bad if I know my own path and follow it consistently." Here in the dark, he does not worry about his scars: he loves the morning with its consequences. Failure included.
This expression, this attitude, this discovery of paradoxes demand inner maturity. And Bünger is grown up enough to articulate himself. For him, the highest good is to have no obligations, to not have to do anything, to not want anything. "There are days when I forget every belief, every meaning. Because I simply enjoy being as I am right now." (Quote: In the End, Again Light) His happiness begins in the small things. It is his courage and sincerity that win Bünger the sympathy of the audience.
That he often sounds daring, shaky, and worn may not be surprising: Pauli and his neighborhood, after all. His Hamburg dialect connects Bünger with influences from American genres like blues and folk, and songwriters with German chanson; inspired by the greats like Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Van Morrison, Udo Lindenberg, Rio Reiser, and Element of Crime. A bit less rough. Elegiac, but not sad. "I have to go outside, I can't see these walls anymore. They've been gray for years. Pale people look at me, whom you certainly can't save. They don't want life." (Quote: This City)
His sound is versatile, rich, and vibrant: double bass, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, lap steel. Playful and mature at the same time. Secure and free. Tastefully, stylishly, and courageously produced. His creaky guitar, his rough, profound voice, and his fine instinct for the special in the moment demand a new quality of listening. "At 30, I casually churned out every song. Today, the quality of the music lies in improvisation, in the intuitive merging of text and melody, in the connection between me and my audience." Bünger seeks closeness and intimacy.
His confidence in handling the musical craft has matured: Bünger has been working as a producer in the studio for years, observing, listening to, and studying musicians and people with interest. "One of the most beautiful moments is when I listen to someone who is growing and suddenly gets wings of their own." Regularly, Bünger invites songwriters, singers, and fellow artists to "Bünger’s Feierabend" for joint music-making.
Music is a process; its success is a concert. The fate of his music, whether it fails or succeeds, is not determined by sales figures, but by the intensity and authenticity of the shared experience on stage: Hamburg worldview with signs of use, handmade, rich sound from the gut, and a mature feeling for the musical nuances. That is Bünger.
Sven Bünger has been actively making music since 1981, as a producer, songwriter, guitarist, and singer. He works with artists and bands such as Madsen, Johannes Oerding, Pascal Finkenauer, Ulrich Tukur & Die Rhythmus Boys, Angela Winkler, and Mary Roos. Previously, he founded and produced his own band Soulounge and was the band guitarist for the Cultured Pearls for many years.
BÜNGER "Better to Fail" album will be released on 26.04.13 [Chef Records Ratekau / Edel kultur]
Video:
BÜNGER "When the Moon"
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