Die großen Namen der Mittnuller kommen zurück: Franz Ferdinand werden bald ein neues Album veröffentlichen, Bloc Partys nächste Platte steht schon vor der Tür und Maximo Park haben das Ihre schon in die Regale gestellt. Da Maximo Park als eine der wenigen britischen Indierock-Bands sogar in Deutschland etwas früher als in England den Durchbruch geschafft hatte, wollten wir Sänger Paul Smith einige deutsche Songs vorspielen:
Ton Steine Scherben – Die letzte Schlacht gewinnen wir (1972)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOBf8mXIhoc[/youtube]
1. Ton Steine Scherben: Perky, punky guitars and a spirited vocal – the guitar sounds reminded me of New Zealand band, The Clean. This song has a high degree of likeability! I can’t believe it was from 1972 – in that respect it has a place in my mind alongside early Faust as a German precursor to the punk sound that appeared in the late-70s. Great tune with a simple, powerful message.
Die Sterne – Was hat dich bloss so ruiniert? (1996)
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/31491191[/vimeo]
2. Die Sterne: It starts with a riff that sounds like House Of The Rising Sun (with a House Of Love guitar effect) and becomes quite powerful as the song builds and builds. The effect is pulverising and a bit like Martha and The Muffins’ Echo Beach, which is no bad thing. I was also reminded of the Stranglers in part because of the organ.
Tocotronic – Kapitulation (2007)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYW6mgIN6Pk[/youtube]
3. Tocotronic: It starts with a Pavement-style slacker guitar riff, which is fine in my book. The vocal is nicely under-played, although it’s a bit high in the mix (sorry to be technical!). Catchy, one-word choruses can be either great or annoying, but this one is relaxed enough to get away with it. Most enjoyable!
1000 Robota – Hamburg Brennt (2008)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl6yeBxm6P8 [/youtube]
4. 1000 Robota: I think it sounds a bit too much like Gang of Four – I find myself thinking about its lack of originality above everything else, although I suspect they are more influenced by post-hardcore bands like At The Drive-In. On the plus side, the riff feels familiar, but it has a good energy about it. Perhaps if the guitar sound was rawer and the recording was more live-sounding then this song would fare better to my ears. Since it was a debut single in 2008, I would say it was a promising start.
Ja, Panik – Alles hin, hin, hin (2009)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llAtJgWnd1g[/youtube]
5. Ja Panik: I think it’s hard to compose lyrics in a second language – the English parts of this song don’t do the song any favours! Overall, it has a decent melody and I especially like the insistent piano that flows through the song, providing it with an exciting quality. Lukas from our band employs the same trick on some of our fast songs. I like the stop-start guitar on the chorus, too, which was unexpected.
Das neue Album von Maximo Park ist bereits erschienen.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/41854842[/vimeo]
Alle (German) Blind Date – Folgen:
* Plattenhören mit Laura Marling
* Smoke Fairies über Ton Steine Scherben, Tocotronic, Blumfeld, Ja Panik
* Hot Chip über Die Sterne, Fehlfarben, Justus Köhncke, Tocotronic, Blumfeld, DJ Koze
* The Stranglers über Die Sterne, Tocotronic, Blue Angel Lounge etc
* Die Sterne über Ja Panik, Chuckamuck, Ecke Schönhauser etc
* We Were Promised Jetpacks über Tocotronic, Ja Panik, 1000 Robota etc
* The Walkabouts über The Walkabouts über Tocotronic, Ja Panik, Hans Unstern etc
* Los Campesinos! über Tocotronic, Blumfeld, Ja Panik etc
