The heart is a dark forest
Charismatic singer meets musical finesse
The classic pop duo has long been an integral part of the pop world, especially since Sonny and Cher - Eurythmics, Moloko, Goldfrapp: the list could go on endlessly. Clarence + Napoleon met in 2008 in Hamburg, and from then on, their passionate relationship began with a shared love for music. Clarence + Napoleon are Anna and Arne. Anna grows up in an artistic family with Chilean, Greek, and Czech roots. Singing and music are part of her daily ritual at home. It’s no surprise that Anna embarks on the path of a musician early on: she sings, plays piano and saxophone, and spends time living in New Zealand and with her grandparents in London.
For Arne, music means limitless freedom and universal energy. He has been playing piano, bass, and many other instruments since childhood, creating pieces and improvising for hours. He eventually studies music, composes, produces, and tours with various bands.
In the past two years, C+N have been working on their debut album. They often retreat to the countryside to write. Their excursions to Berlin, London, and the nightlife in Hamburg contrast with the silence and vastness. It is this very contrast, the tension from the fragile tones permeated by electronic music and urban coolness, that defines their music. This results in a synthesizer-heavy pop album, where influences from film and folk music are intricately woven in with great attention to detail. While “Breaking The Silence” conjures dark, epic worlds, the beats of “Do That Thing” or “Angels” pull you onto the dance floor, only to send chills down your spine with the Danzig cover “Mother.” In an unmistakably enchanting way, C+N manage to harmonize seemingly opposing worlds. Their musical soulmate in the studio is Swen Meyer (Kettcar, Lena, and Tim Bendzko) - by now one of the most renowned German music producers. A special story is told through three songs and three videos. Directed by Stephane Leonard, the unusual trilogy has been filmed. A car on a dark country road, a white light, crash and weightlessness, then a voice sounds in the darkness: “Breaking the silence...hearing the sirens!” We are drawn in and carried away on a journey to the end of the night. Perhaps hope awaits us there, conjured in the danceable, anthemic “Angels” with the redeeming lines "And all of the angels come down on me/ and bring back the dream of infinity / I wanna dance, I wanna dance, I wanna stay here." Clarence + Napoleon meet you where you feel lost, in memories of dark fairy tales, the mystery of love, and a future where the nights never end and there is always a dance, a drink, and a story. Somewhere on an empty road between club and home. One would gladly want to stay, lingering in the enchanted dream world of Clarence + Napoleon.
Live:
26.09.13 Hamburg/ Reeperbahnfestival
Videos:
Clarence + Napoleon "Angels"
http://youtu.be/QkUmEv5hgbU
Clarence + Napoleon "Breaking The Silence"
http://youtu.be/gGL9A_9aoZg
Clarence + Napoleon "5 Seconds"
http://youtu.be/5t_bUrbX16o
Clarence + Napoleon "Mother"
http://youtu.be/aUDMUYvRTrs
Web:
www.clarenceandnapoleon.com
www.facebook.com/clarenceandnapoleon
