Conny Ochs – Troubadour
Conny Ochs returns on October 25th with his newest effort Troubadour, the intimate new album via Exile on Mainstream Records.
Nearly a year to the day following his previous album release for Wahn Und Sinn, an album sung completely in his native German, Ochs returns to the English language with Troubadour, an 11 track album that finds him revisiting the stark, primitive roots of his music.
Ochs has been releasing music since his 2010 debut, Raw Love Songs and since then has released eight full-length albums, including two (Heavy Kingdom & Freedom Conspiracy) with Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich (Saint Vitus, The Obsessed), as well as countless guest appearances and work with others such as Trialogos and more. Whether solo, or in collaboration with others, Ochs’ music is both expressive and emotive. Doomy folk, for the lack of a better description, that has evolved into a more full band, rock infused sound over the years. But here with Troubadour, Ochs has returned to the stripped down singer-songwriter form that served him well on his debut as well as 2013’s Black Happy.
Discussing the approach towards writing and recording this new album, Ochs states, “I had a strong desire to create an album with the same minimal approach as “Raw Love Songs” and“Black Happy”, but with themes and vibes that reflect my current experiences”. Ochs continues, saying, “This is why I wanted to create an album that contrasts with the current trend of overwhelming expression and aesthetics – almost like an anti-record.” Yet, despite this obvious juxtoposition, with Toubadour, Ochs has somehow delivered a refined and polished and downright optimistic album that certainly may be a career defining release.
The album opens with the jangly acoustic blues of “Holy Motors” a song which premiered here on Americana Highways in late September. (See and hear it here: Song Premiere: Conny Ochs “Holy Motors”
Admittedly in my first few listens, I found the track somewhat deceptive and initially uncharacteristic of the remainder of the release. But with each subsequent listen, I came to realize that was likely Ochs’ intention of the song. Of the song and its placement as the lead-off track and first single, Ochs says,
“It´s not always easy to find the right song to introduce an album. In this case, when I wrote and recorded ‘Holy Motors,’ I already felt that was the one. To me it has that classic storytelling touch, but at the same time it develops a much more post-modern imagery that works as a stepping stone for the whole record. I really like the roughness and minimalism of the track, which also works really well live. I hope it can offer some food for thought and get you into the mood for the stories that are supposed to follow.” Indeed, I’ve come to find that “Holy Motors: as well as the songs that follow are both rustic and atmospheric in their nature as well as being refreshingly unpredictable in their composition. That my friends is the mark of something special.
Throughout, Troubadour lives up to it’s title, instantly and convincingly conjuring a feel of Ochs presenting these songs along the road; a storytelling bard honing his craft and enchanting audiences town after town. Ochs details his approach by saying, “Since performing live has always been my main focus, I wanted to write songs that I could play in various settings, such as clubs, festivals, and while traveling, with minimal requirements. I aimed for a down-to-earth record that allows listeners to breathe, pay attention, and explore the details of the images it creates.” Mission accomplished. Conny Ochs has already begun performing a few pre-release European dates with more dates expanding following the official release and into 2025. In a perfect scenario, I’m optimistic that might include stateside dates as well. Fingers crossed.
On Troubadour, Ochs composed and performs all vocals, guitar and piano himself, with a singular guest appearance by his Trialogos bandmate Sicker Man, who co-wrote the string arrangement and performs the cello tracks on “Edge Of Love.” Ochs recorded and produced the album himself, enlisting a trusted studio cohort, Thommy Krawallo to handle mixing and mastering at Berlin’s Kabumm Studio. Of the recording process, Ochs expands on his intentions saying, “There’s a special truth about a song that allows you to deeply connect with it when giving you a room to enter. A track becomes more than a mere escape; it becomes your own song. I worked again with Thommy (Krawallo) on this album, with the intention of recording all the tracks live and without click tracks, and with minimal overdubs. Some songs benefited from a few additional tracks, but overall, we kept the recording process simple. Our goal was to capture the authenticity of the moment. We didn’t go back to make changes to any of the songs later on. We wanted to preserve the rawness of the recording, as it is a snapshot of a moment in time.
I found Troubadour vastly compelling and even somewhat addictive. As is usually the case with a new album that deeply connects with me, I’ve listened to it repeatedly for the past week. With each subsequent listen it draws me in and in some strangely hypnotic way, resonates anew. Stand-out tracks for me included the surprising torch-bearer feel of “Cool Black Stars,” the double track vocals of “Trouble Me,” the Beatlesque “The Boxer,” as well as the ridiculously catchy ear worms of “Crazy Horse” and “Crow Honey,”which have resided in my head since my first listen. It’s an album I feel is most successful as a result of it’s sincerity. Ochs states, “Troubadour” felt like a natural title for this still yet intense recording, which reflects my life over the past two years or so and the stories of people I have crossed paths with. It’s a quintessential songwriter’s record, paying homage to my musical influences such as Townes van Zandt, Leonard Cohen, Elliot Smith, and Dax Riggs. And it’s especially the quiet songs that stayed with me the longest and still touch me as they did the first time I heard them. This album is also an ode to my role as a troubadour – someone who travels in search of songs and is deeply passionate about sharing music with others. It’s about maintaining an intimate connection with my art and returning to the essence of why I started making music in the first place: the pursuit of the ‘tower of song.’
Conny Ochs isn’t merely playing a role here, rather he is a true modern day Troubadour. Safe travels.
Troubadour will be released on Black Vinyl LP with a bundled CD and digitally on October 25th. Physical preorders are live at the Exile On Mainstream webshop here: https://shop.mainstreamrecords.de/product/eom113
You can find out more about Conny Ochs by visiting his official page here: https://www.connyochs.com/