Simon Casier aka Zimmerman
Making the most romantic record of the twenty-first century. That was, in a nutshell, the plan Simon Casier had in mind with Love Songs. And the least you can say is that he pulled it off.

The subject of his love - Noémie Wolfs, well known to you - had previously been given a love song gift. She was the inspiration for 'You won my heart' on debut record The Afterglow. But this time it was allowed to be even more direct, even more unflattering. And the songs dig just deeper than I love you and You're beautiful.

Falling in love without humour will never last. On that front, too, things are fine. A record full of love songs is a delicate balancing act. It comes down to keeping the balance between cheesy sentiment and sincere beauty. "Maybe I even crossed that line a few times. Very cool and rock 'n' roll doesn't sound like it, of course, but that never interested me anyway. I just want to make the music I want to make at the moment that is also emotionally right. I said on the record what I had to say, within the arc of tension that I had put first. Playing with Balthazar is fantastic and I love nothing more than playing bass. But with Zimmerman I can do my own thing. That variety keeps it refreshing."

The result is an exceptional record with ten compact, accessible songs that, through the fine string arrangements more than once reminiscent of the classic pop songs of Burt Bacharach are reminiscent. Timeless, yet modern. Lighthearted, but never non-committal. And always unflattering. The latter is an offshoot of Wish You Were Here, the blood-curdling tribute to his late brother that was showered with praise last year. Both records came about simultaneously, even though they could hardly be further apart in terms of form and each other. On Wish You Were Here - one long three-quarter-hour composition - there was no place for imagery or metaphors: the theme demanded concrete language. Things had to be by name. That relieved, and as a result Simon Casier dares to be his most vulnerable side on Love Songs too. "Before, song lyrics didn't interest me that much. Now I know that a good lyric can make a song a hundred times better make." And look: on this third record, he has elevated romance to an art form. Long live the love? Long live love!