White Wine started life as a solo project for Joe Haege (Menomena, 31knots, Tu Fawning, The Dodos). The original idea was to use it as a place to house ideas that didn't fit his other bands. Eventually, he was joined by Fritz Brückner, sound man to Menomema, and Christian "Kirmes" Kuhr (Zentral Heizung Des Todes). The entire project sees the group moving in directions as the mood takes them. One thing is certain, you won't have heard anything like this before...

White Wine is an interesting band. Unleashed from the shackles of making music to make a living, Joe Haege is allowed free reign to create something that is very personal to him. Now, that being the case, a lot of this music may not work for those not willing to invest in Haege's world. But I think that those that do will find much to enjoy here.

Who Cares What the Laser Says? contains 10 songs (42 min, 59 sec) and flits and floats from genre to genre, acting more as a showpiece for what the band can achieve.

There are elements of modern Northern Indie Pop (similar in style to The Last Shadow Puppets) in tracks like 'Sitting on a Bench'; 'Zeitgeist Plagiarist' is annoyingly catchy, ensuring that it will embed itself in your skull; and 'Drama Queen' is a trippy, out-of-body experience.

This is an interesting alternative album that is well worth spending some time getting to know.

8

Nick Smithson