Poetry (2010)

The electronic post-rock formation Picture Palace music, after its foundation in 2003, first devoted itself to the contemporary setting of the classical silent films with the sound possibilities of today's time. The ensemble of great, emotional melodies, guitar-laden soundscapes and noise elements developed the Berliners quickly into a live set and their film-independent studio albums "Natatorium" (2009), "Midsummer" (2010) and "Indulge the Passion" ( 2012), with which they have caused a sensation for several years. Thus, Picture Palace music won the Schallwelle Award for electronic music four times and in 2010 and 2012 headlined the renowned E-Live festival in Oirschot in the Netherlands.

Throughout her career, Natalie Merchant has thrived on exceeding only her own expectations.

With her sleek bob haircut (usually with a flower placed just so), vintage fashion sense, strikingly beautiful looks and artfully customized ukulele, Janet Klein might seem at first to be a simple novelty act, a 21st-century hipster "ironically" recreating the subtly naughty looks of a fin-de-siecle French postcard. Then she opens her mouth to sing. There's no Betty Boop hiccups or Mae West-style brassiness in her charmingly original voice. And when she starts to play her ukulele, it's clear that this oft-ridiculed cousin of the guitar is neither prop nor gimmick, but a delightful and under-utilized musical instrument. Bearing an ever-expanding repertoire of, as she puts it, "obscure, lovely and naughty songs from the 1910's , 20's and 30's," Janet Klein is a musical archeologist hiding in the body of an F. Scott Fitzgerald heroine.