Carolin No breathe new life into the oft-dead concert recording. On two emphatically different and deliberately simultaneously released CDs, the duo shows its two faces: on the one hand playful, imaginative and gentle; on the other epic, experimental, and gripping. Almost ten years lie between “Hausmusik” and “Favorite Sin – LIVE”. Together they offer a comprehensive look at the work of this unconventional band.

Carolin No are known as studio tinkerers and songwriters. But to get to the essence of the band, both fans and band agree, you have to experience them live. Carolin and Andreas Obieglo have resolved this tension several times in the past – with a concert recording, a live DVD and, on “Backstage,” a song selection they recorded almost entirely in hotel rooms.

“Hausmusik” goes beyond that. At the Lockdown, Carolin and Andreas Obieglo re-recorded some of their best-known pieces acoustically – the concert they couldn’t give. Supplemented by short interludes, field recordings and fine sound particles, the result is an intimate chamber play full of gentle psychedelia – in a sense “Pet Sounds” for the home aquarium. And to emphasize this intimacy even more, for the first time the proper names of the two are on the cover.

“Favorite Sin – LIVE” is classically laid out in direct comparison: Fifteen songs from the two-year concert tour for the “Favorite Sin” album – their first tour ever. Back then, Andreas tinkered with loops, effects and crackling textures in the studio, and the interplay with Caro’s sensitive voice and German traditionals created a truly unique blend, enhanced by the dynamic stage performances.

Thus, these two works belong together like yin and yang – and stand for turning points in the work of Carolin No.