A stirring in the Alps

With their debut album Abendlaüten, the young Austrian neo-folk outfit Jännerwein takes the stage. In folk costumes.

His Lordship is very taken with this record. While it’s obvious to any listener that we are talking about a young band at the start of its career, what the Jännerwein lads lack in technical finesse and polished production they make back in charm, enthusiasm, and sheer style (surely one shouldn’t play neo-folk without a well-knit tie?)

The Jännerwein lads take certain elements from more folkloristic alpine-folk outfits such as Sturmpercht and Jägerblut, but overall they come across as more of a traditional pop band. This has the added bonus of making sure that several of their songs are highly hummable. And as the visual aspects of Jännerwein contains more than a touch of ”boy band”, His Lordship feels certain that these young lads are bound for future success.



From the touches of folk costume in their stage dress to their charming Allemanic dialect, Jännerwein seem, like so many other neofolk bands, deeply interested their native culture and the history of their country. But while love for one’s home and mother tongue is something that Lord Bassington-Bassington finds very natural, it’s something that easily causes knee-jerk reaction among the uninformed.

So almost as if to clear up any silly misunderstandings before they arise, Jännerwein have included the poignant song “Burian”, dedicated to Karl Burian, a monarchist resistance fighter against the Nazi government that ruled over Austria after the Anschluss.

While this might be the first time you hear about Jännerwein, His Lordship feels confident that if you have the least interest in neo-folk, this is not the last time you hear about them. This is surely a band with a bright future ahead of it. By Jove, they even sound good in live recordings, which is really rare in their chose genre.