Paul Plut in Graz

Dark plants blossom in the alpine garden

Paul Plut at the album presentation at the Orpheum in Graz

(Bild: Michael Pelitz)

Paul Plut from Ramsau made a name for himself as the singer in the bands Marta and Viech. Now, with "Herbarium", he presents his third solo album. He has now presented the work in a magnificent concert at the Orpheum in Graz.

Paul Plut is not a man of cheerful tones - as the titles of his first two solo albums suggest: "Lieder vom Tanzen und Sterben" and "Ramsau am Dachstein nach der Apokalypse". But the way in which Plut works his way through his homeland like a miner in his dark dialect gospels is fascinating. Again and again, he goes underground musically in the hope of finding a diamond - only to emerge with dirty fingers and a lung full of dust.

Songs about guilt and atonement
On his new album "Herbarium", the man with the dark timbre digs for the first time not only in his own garden: Cover versions of Hildegard Knef and Daniel Johnston also blossom in his song garden, as well as a setting of a text by Christine Nöstlinger. Nevertheless, Plut remains true to his basic concept: he sings dark, shimmering songs about life in the country and about transience, about guilt and atonement, about exploited landscapes and exploited people.

What is presented on the album with a deep black polish comes across as wonderfully dirty live. With his two live musicians Marie Pfeiffer and Julian Pieber, he conjures up a set on stage at the Orpheum in Graz at the invitation of Platoo that is wild and full of sound experiments, but also creates moments of great intimacy and vulnerability.

With performances and albums such as "Herbarium", Paul Plut is carving out his very own little corner of the local music scene.