Black Henbane

MP3 available at CDBaby, Amazon, Lala (only US), tradebit, Napster, greatindie, iTunes, Rhapsody

Black Henbane is a one-man project from Cologne, Germany. The name refers to a plant (Hyoscyamus niger in Latin) which has been used by medieval witches for many purposes, because of its remarkable properties. It is not only beautiful to look at and very poisonous, but also said to have healing, aphrodising and hallucinogenic effects - all qualities that also make up a good pop song.

A scientist by brain and an artist by heart, Black Henbane worked in various jobs, lived abroad, travelled a lot, made some dreams come true - and many mistakes to learn from. He's been playing music solo or in short-lived band projects since the 90s before he started recording and publishing his songs recently.

He has developed an eclectic yet unique and unmistakable style. His song-writing is influenced by masters as Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Gary Brooker, Ray Davies, and The Beatles, but he also likes borrowing melodical elements and harmonies from English, Celtic, Jewish or Gypsy folk as well as from early and medieval music. Another characteristic is the frequent use of exotic percussion instead of conventional drums. Black Henbane's producing and sound take inspiration from more recent acts like Radiohead, Portishead, Low, Beck, and Tindersticks, to name a few. Listeners often describe his music as dark, moody, hypnotic, mesmerizing, psychedelic, and evocative, sometimes as cool and relaxed, not least because of his distinctive low voice. His lyrics are sometimes thoughtful, spiritual and emotional, sometimes bitter and sarcastic, and sometimes mere surreal nonsense. They are all available in his MySpace blog.

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