Sometimes it is precisely the simple that leaves a strong impression. This may be because we first recognise the unusual in the familiar. So the news is as simple as it is surprising: Maxim Biller, the renowned German author (known for books such as ‘Sechs Koffer’ and ‘Der Falsche Gruß’), columnist for ‘Die Zeit’ and former member of the legendary German TV book programme ‘Das Literarische Quartett’, („the literary quartet“) is releasing his second music album.

The simple title of the album is ‘Studio’, and the cover features the author's striking profile in a straw hat. The fact that Maxim Biller, a respected man of letters, has now released another music album might make some people shake their heads in amazement and dismiss him as completely overambitious. Biller is still writing songs? And singing even better than before? The answer is: Yes! With the support of Berlin multi-instrumentalist Malakoff Kowalski, Biller has recorded twelve songs that he composed himself. It is an impressive, timeless work that is musically reminiscent of greats such as Leonard Cohen, Serge Gainsbourg and Paolo Conte - you can certainly use these illustrious names for comparison.

In terms of content, the songs provide a deep insight into the colourful world of the writer's thoughts. In contrast to the album debut ‘Tapes’ (released in 2004), which was recorded in a private atmosphere and consisted more of word collages, scraps of thoughts and lists than traditional songs, ‘Studio’ presents itself as a brilliantly produced high-fidelity album with fully-fledged songs that are arranged in a musically differentiated way. Multi-instrumentalist Kowalski embeds Biller's vocals in a minimalist musical fabric of live instrumentation, with the voice always taking centre stage.

‘Studio’ consistently continues what the 64-year-old author is known for: telling stories from his everyday life. However, the seemingly humorous and entertaining character of the pieces often reveals deeper, charmingly biting layers of meaning on closer listening. In ‘Kriegsreporterin’ („the war reporter“), for example, he describes the life of his girlfriend, who has been reporting from war-torn Ukraine for more than two years. ‘Herr Minister’ („Mister minister“) tells the story of a politician with an overconfident attitude. In ‘6:30’, Biller addresses the gloomy mood that has settled over Jewish life since the Hamas attack on 7 October. There are also stories about female writers (‘Für Maeve Brennan’), country bumpkins in Berlin (‘Berlin Girl’) or the effect of the world after the consumption of tranquillisers (‘Das Leben In Den Farben Von Tavor’, „The Life In The Colors Of Tavor“), with German-Luxemburgian actress Vicky Krieps accompanying.

The ‘Studio’ album consists of a total of twelve songs and is surprisingly fresh, melancholic and very unusual. You can hear that Biller and Kowalksi had a lot of fun making music in the studio. Fortunately, we can be part of it. And the culturally interested public will love ‘Studio’: A singing writer in the German-speaking world - that hasn't happened for decades. ‘Studio’ should attract a lot of attention and enthusiasm.