Max Schneider

"...Serge Gainsbourg on an acid hellride in Death Valley. I like it."
- C McCurry

Editor's Review:
Asylum Dreams is an unusual album with a dark and quiet glory. Schneider’s voice is far from talented, but his musical and creative ability are undeniable. Uncannily, he fashions addictive tunes out of weird arrangements. His lyrics are strange and playful, with an odd sense of humor, “like a deranged cockatoo.” Interspersed with the vocal tracks are the instrumental “Asylum Dreams”—bizarre sound experiments. The addictive rhythm of “Cheshire Girl” begins the album with an enigmatic flourish. Schneider’s acoustic guitar work is precise and talented. “Inner City Tango” bounces back and forth between a driving beat and a slow waltz. The album is tastefully odd and delightfully strange. The music changes pace and direction unpredictably, like a drunk staggering home. Soft and haunting, Asylum Dreams is unique and memorable. - Mike Kieran, Synthesis Magazine, USA

Novocastrian Max Schneider doesn't pretend he's not in thrall to Canadian Leonard Cohen. His folk-with-theatrical-bits riding on carefully wrought lyrics work the droll, cigarette-holding atmosphere hard. "It's a lonely affair born of lust and despair/There's no reason for truth/Or excuse," he says. Methinks he's working his way up to the full French cabaret affair next time around. Could be fun. - Bernard Zuel, Sydney Morning Herald

Cheshire Girl
rating: 4/5
love this track! It's raw and original with a rolling rhythm, delicious classical guitar riffs and lyrics of poetic comedy...topped of with max's rich vocal tone... - Justine Wahlin, Kompaktion, 2RSR Sydney