A piano sparkles in the ears, tentatively and softly. Only a few times later there is an euphoric wind section - and with it one question: »Oh, why is it so hard to come up with some art?« The song's title is »Pain Song« and in its laconic irony that simultaneously has an honest and serious core this first song on It's A Musical's first album reminds of the narrative strategies of Jens Lekman. Not only because the two of them are from Sweden, Lekman and Ella Blixt, the latter is one half of It's A Musical. Robert Kretzschmar completes the duo, that got to know each other on a joint tour of Robert's former band »Lady Boy« and Ella's solo project »Bobby Baby« in the year of 2006. At that time Ella still lived in Malmö. Meanwhile she lives in Berlin, but now Robert studies within the week in the East German city of Cottbus. So It's A Musical is a band between the places.
And a band between the genres, even if it is not intended to be that way. »We listen to music quite rarely, especially when we worked intensely for our album.«
It is Norman Nitzsche (Mina, NMFarner, Masha Qrella) who produced »The Music Makes Me Sick«. Or rather: He switched the regulators to ›receive‹ and Ella Blixt and Robert Kretzschmar fed the hard disk. They have recorded their songs once again as they were written in their rooms, in rough shape, direct, turning somersaults. Four hands, two voices, that's what it is all about.
Above all: two voices. Two voices with equal rights, voices that let all the space of the world to one another in order to embrace each other very closely within the next moment. And telling us stories constantly as in »Lazy« beginning as a melancholy piano miniature in order to borrow the whole keyboard of a Burt Bacharach in a very nonchalant way. Melodies of longing, while the lyrics tell of the speed with which one wants to live one's life. Or as in »Circus« where the organ suddenly plays a fair waltz. What ist that music abot? »It can be about happy things or bad things or no things at all.«
It's A Musical are as rough as subtle, as virtuoso as amateurish, as storming as pausing, as obvious as mischievous. »If there would be a guarantee, a guarantee for harmony« that is what they sing in one of their songs. It is aimed at the people and still fits to the music, too, whose smallest as well as biggest common denominator can be called pop. And sincerity.
