A new Züri West album. This is great news in itself – and more than we might have expected. After frontman Kuno Lauener, 62, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis six years ago, it looked like the Züri West story had come to an end that was as abrupt as it was sad.
What we can be sure of is that the band will never perform live again. Nevertheless, the Bern combo have made another record. “Loch dür Zyt” (Hole Through Time) is their first since “Love” in 2017. And some things have changed. Gere Stäuble and Wolfgang Zwieauer have left the band, while Florian Senn (former Lovebugs) on bass and Kevin Chesham on drums have joined. There are 13 new songs, mainly written by Kuno Lauener, including a couple of covers. It is a relaxed, accomplished, compact series of tracks that recount the passing of time, look to the past and question the meaning of life. The lyrics tell of resignation, bewilderment, acceptance, fatalism, melancholy – and defiance. They reflect Lauener’s personal journey with his illness and are both relevant and real. A form of poetry that cuts to the bone.
It is a moving album. Lauener is clinging on as best he can. He will never give up. “I louffe und i louffe u d’Chäuti stieuht mr schier dr Schnuuf / Aber chum du nume du Jahr du Nöis / No grad gieben i nid uf,” he sings on “Winterhale” (I walk on and on, and the cold almost takes my breath away / But come on, new year / I’m not giving up yet). “Blätter gheie”, an adaptation of a poem by Franz Hohler, is another standout track: “Blätter fallen, sie werden vom Wind zu einem letzten Tanz gebeten, sie sterben. Und dann wird es still,” the poem reads. (Leaves fall. They dance a final dance in the wind before they die. Then quiet descends.)
But the title song steals the show. Most of its lyrics originate or – to be precise – are derived from an old song called “Z.W.”, which dates back 35 years to the band’s debut album “Sport und Musik”. The new, updated version is a nod to the past. Life has come full circle. And we are here to witness it. “U mis einsame Härz schmärzt so fescht” (Oh, my lonely heart hurts so bad) in “Z.W.” has morphed into “U mis einsame Härz wo chlopfet u chlopfet” (Oh, my lonely heart keeps on beating) in the new album. A subtle but telling difference.
Does this LP finally mark the end of the road for Züri West? If so, it is a dignified, poignant farewell.
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