Don't speak German? Don't worry. A City Half Lost is an excellent example of how music is the universal language. Southeast Performer
A City Half-Lost is airy and delicate—a chiming glockenspiel here, a gentle push from an accordion there—-and Baumgaertner's half-English, half-German vocals transform words from both languages into giant, down-filled pillows, even when they're filled with the harshest consonants and glottals. Besides, the tagline on the band's MySpace page is "We love violas," and how can you disagree with that sentiment? Idolator
Dancer vs. Politician = Broadcast + Nico + Jarboe without spookiness. My German usage may be poor, but this album is not. A native of Germany now living in Athens, Georgia, singer-songwriter Sanni Baumgartner slings her husky voice most often auf Deutsch; only four of 10 tracks are in English. Her style and craft is constant with simple supplements (like hand claps or musical saw), giving the electronic tinkerings (by Andy Baker, producer of Azure Ray) a folksy-cabin lounge sense á là Goldfrapp's Felt Mountain. The real gem on this album is the final track, "Homeless Mind:" a Leonard Cohen-esque, heartbroken ballad for the wandering soul. . Recorded in Berlin and Athens with members of Phosphorescent and The Olivia Tremor Control performing varied harmonic instrumentals, this album is poetic enough to be enjoyed in any country. Slug Magazine
A City Half-Lost is pure indie-pop, generally soft and romantic in nature; it also includes heavy elements of orchestration. This orchestration features everything from accordion to glockenspiel to musical saw. There's a trumpet in the German-sung "Happiness", and occasionally you'll hear viola as well. But nowhere is the use of language and orchestration more telling, more beautiful, more emotive, than in album closer "Homeless Mind". Few artists span languages in their music — certainly here in the states, occasionally switching to a language other than English can turn away some people, but in most cases those individuals are missing out on some really great music. It's what initially drew me to Delaney, who splits her tunes between her native French and English. So it's no surprise that the dual English/German side of Dancer Vs. Politician is an element I really enjoy on A City Half-Lost, making it, in my opinion, a beautiful pop album. Fense Post
With influences including The Velvet Underground, Belle & Sebastian, Tom Waits and Neutral Milk Hotel and a fragile and finespun sound that floats like finest chiffon on a warm summer breeze, Dancer vs Politician is a perfect antidote for the world wide financial turmoil, a bolthole to escape from the wall to wall news coverage of a world spinning wildly out of control. The Devil Has The Best Tuna
Dancer Vs. Politician's music perfectly matches the season where the colours are warm and the wind is cold. Yes, I'm talking about autumn. By far my favorite season of the four, A City Half-Lost is an album that enhances the richness of the current state outside my window. And that's pretty impressive considering that I barely understand the majority of the lyrics. Rocksellout.com
Paperblog
Dancer vs. Politician: The obvious point of comparison is Nico, but Sanni Baumgaertner of Dancer vs. Politician isn't as chilly and tragic as that other German beauty. Besides, she's spent enough time in Athens, Ga., to soak up whatever it is that compels fair maidens to sing sweetly over swooning saws. Philadelphia Citypaper
Cafe Maroon
BabySue
The Needle Drop
Whoever said French is the language of lovers and German a harsh guttural piece of auditory sandpaper obviously never heard Dancer Vs. Politician. .Contrary to expectations, her voice smothly flows through lyrics, and put together with the instrumental backdrop is a mixture of Belle and Sebastian meets Au Revoir Simone.
Mainstream Isn't So Bad
Indie Sufer Blog
.delicate tracks transformed into rich, eerily dark songs through muted Portishead-like reverb. Baumgaertner's immense talent clearly reveals itself on this debut album,.
Tiny Mix Tapes
STOMP AND STAMMER calls "A City Half-Lost" ."A WONDROUS MASTERPIECE, LIKE A NICO ALBUM PERFORMED BY GHOSTS AND ANGLES. FIND IT, BUY IT." (Stomp and Stammer, April 2007)
Buy "A City Half-Lost" at or digitally at
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Dancer Vs Politician: Justin Fairbornby eikonproductions
