A few good times in my life
A Man Called Adam have recently made a comeback. Not with new material, mind you, but with 16 versions of their classic track from the early nineties. Sally Rodgers and Steve Jones are the brains behind the project, which blends various styles such as acid jazz, Balearic house and chill-out into a unique sound. Whether you really need all the versions of this brilliant track is beside the point. What matters is hearing the track’s potential and the changes it has undergone over time.
Late autumn 1983. Musical amateurs took up their shovels to bury the Neue Deutsche Welle. At that time, there were few German bands that had made the transition from punk to new wave without losing their soul. One of the was Der Moderne Man from Hanover. Originally a pure punk band, the evolved musically and incorporated rap, funk and Latin influences into their sound. Unfortunally, almost nobody was interested in that at the time, as they were far ahead of their time musically. John Peel featured them in their early days but this was not enough so they disbanded a few month later. Me and a couple of friends were lucky enough to see them live before they quit and moved back to their traditional jobs. I remember this concert in our neighbouring town. It was due to start at around 8 pm, but because of an accident we had to wait three hours before the concert could begin. But it was worth every minute. Songs that A Certain Ratio could well have played (albeit with better technique), with a real feel for funk, magnificent bass lines and distinctive guitar playing, more than made up for the wait. Für Frau Krause, this was the closing number of every one of the band’s concerts at that time. A long-forgotten gem of German New Wave.
Der Moderne Man - Für Frau Krause (Including The Return Of Frau Krause)
Kate Nash, an English musician and actress, is making a comeback with a new single and the announcement of a new album early next year. Thematically, she explores women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. She skilfully weaves her arguments into a driving rock song – somewhere between industrial, grunge, post-punk and spoken word. Constantly driving forward, interrupted only by short, gentler choruses. A song that is clearly intended to stir things up with its sound as well.
