A Brief History of Hamburg School Part 3

 

Inspired by bands from the first wave at the end of the century a second wave of Hamburg school appeared on the scene. Learned by guitar based indie-rock many bands refined the sound with string or horns but always on the basement that other groups have prepared. The classification of Hamburg school has come to a trademark for indie-rock with German lyrics. The most successful band of this genre might be Kettcar because they are the best examples for German lyrics with guitar inspired indie-pop.

Kettcar - Landungsbrücken raus

Also named should be those bands:

Lassie Singers - Leben an der Bar

Virginia Jetzt - Dieses Ende wird ein Anfang sein

Continental Tuesday # 1

How you know, I have finished my twanging series last week and I considered what series would come next. Finally I decided to make a series about music made from bands not from Great Britain. No matter whether these are German-speaking artist, bands from continental Europe or both. Anyhow it is no matter whether it music from today is or whether this was taken up before decades. Main criterion should be that the music and the songs in a way at all are worth to be heard once again. Besides, it should play no role, whether it is punk, New Wave, Krautrock or electronic it should be music from outside the island. So be curious what will appear the upcoming weeks.

So let's start with Kettcar, a band formed in Hamburg in 2001 by Marcus Wiebusch after the split of their punk influenced band ... But Alive. It's a band I followed during the last years and I like them melancholic way in their music. Not only the music is what impresses me it's also about their lyrics that touches my little soul.

I am not embittered

only try out this

Now after food

I want, actually, only home

They do not brag

they only let know

Am I still unfair or quite envious?

These are your oldest friends

probably both

It only shimmers through

It stands in the air between us

And all these subjects, this are good subjects

About the cooking and travelling and what we take so

before immediately one says

So, this it was

If your glass raises

Come, raise your glasses

A toast

on the life

the luck

only I, I do not come along any more

with the life

to the luck

A toast

on the friendship

the certainty

in one year from here and now in

if the compassion certainly comes

We were always so proud of it

to know you

More notion of all

when we everybody together

Here you say only nothing

and then this cryptic dung

We have decided

as well as most

for rat race

and for own home perform

And you look down

with this knowledge what is wrong

This evening no mistake

and if then not mine

I am no betrayer

and feel me like one

Do you think then seriously this life makes fun?

If your glass raises

Comes, your glass raises

A toast

on the life

his lies

and as we struggle all the life

for nothing

and nothing at all

A toast

on the life

a place

on one is able once thus his

how one is

who is one

Kettcar - Am Tisch (At the table)

As a bonus a song from Wiebusch's first band ... But Alive (Forever 16)

Songs The Lord Gave Us # 12

I planned this series to feature songs that are outstanding and true classics, songs with a political or emotional background and songs that means a lot to me (in any way). I posted this song a few weeks ago but I will feature this once more. On the one hand because it's sung in German, otherwise because this song is fantastic at all and I listened a few times to it during the last days. Built up as a classic rock song with rough played guitars to the main theme it is a song about a theme that still is a taboo: gay football player. I am sure that there must be a lot out there being afraid to make a coming-out of their sexual preferences and I can understand why they keep this secret. There was a football player in Germany who had his coming out after he finished his career. Thomas Hitzlsperger played for long time in Germany and English teams. He played in the German national team as well. He was one of the few who had the balls to say the way it is. This is a song about the difficulties to stand to yourself and supporting the ones they did it. Thanks to Marcus Wiebusch, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist of Kettcar for writing this song.

And the day will come in we lift all our glasses

By the cover float, with a toast congratulate him

On the first one which manages it, the most courageous of all

The first one which creates it

It will be the day in which we celebrate the love, the freedom and the life

Everybody loves that whom he wants and the rest remains quiet

One day as if one had won

This day will come

This day will come, every progress was always won

Quite all the same how long it lasts,

What the farmer does not know, does not know, it is always rejected first

And on the barricades the thoughts and ideas that the necessary is possible

How freedom and equality,

The fact that nothing is really impossible and is chiselled in stone

To one steps forward: "End now with cowardice"

History is a progress in the consciousness of the freedom

We have the straight way, any more in caves do not live

Not more the clubs swing, people kill

Do not wander around in small cookers

Because people will not remain forever homophobe complete idiots

And the day will come in we lift all our glasses

By the cover float, with a toast congratulate him

On the first one which manages it, the most courageous of all

The first one which creates it

It will be the day in which we celebrate the love, the freedom and the life

Everybody loves that whom he wants and the rest remains quiet

One day as if one had won

This day will come

A-youth achievement class the Wilhelmsburg south

A sworn heap and one makes the difference

With so much more talent and with more will than everybody

"Oh, this becomes sometimes a professional", proudly we knew everybody

U17, U19, Hamburg choice (means the best players round Hamburg in this age)

With almost every home match: Several scouts there

Only ' a matter of time to the offer came

1. League, three years and a dream became true

And in the evening of the deal when we wanted to allow to crash

He confided in us and should change nothing

Since one anticipated it, it was clear to the other long ago

Some already knew it, it made no difference to us to all

It was perfect to us no matter whether he straight or was gay

We played together since the F-youth football

A way, a team, "You'll never walk alone"

Thus it was taught, was made thus we now, my son

Then sloshed tears and the big relief

Oh, this day comes for exactly same reason:

Because we do not value people after whom they love

Their sex her thing is and they do not earn it

To be judged by the silly of the silly

To be judged by the silly ones of the silly

To be condemned by them then

And he took his dream, moved in the foreign town

And we kept his secret, stayed behind and in contact

And the day will come in we lift all our glasses

By the cover float, with a toast congratulate him

On the first one which managed it, the most courageous of all

The first one which creates it

It will be the day in which we celebrate the love, the freedom and the life

Everybody loves that whom he wants and the rest remains quiet

One day as if one had won

This day will come

Not the appearance wake in the big costume

Agencies put the girlfriend and procure the facade

The put holiday snaps and the public appearance

Waiting, until the whole shit flies up

Do not wake the appearance, on the field play harder

Ten yellow, two red maps and they also earn

"You know me, I never was an unfair player

And now I am valid as a 'Vinnie the axe' of the league"

"You do not know like this is one always a mask when carries

Always must pay attention who is one as one lives

Constantly, actually, all the time fear

And you play in the dung then virtually you are able"

"And the ardent wish and the question, as it would be

To be more different here, now with this career

If I could change it, this sad life

For my feeling never decided and thus it is level"

We were together in stadia, approx. 20 years ago

When they have pelted coloured players with bananas

Then the simian sounds, with every ball touch

These times are over and no happy chance

But progress, change, we are on the way

Foreign ministers, popstars, rugby players show that it goes

Earlier inconceivable, today normally, I bet 90% it makes no difference

And then reminds you of the relief as it was out

How your heart shattered when the words came out

They find two weeks exciting and the haunting has disappeared

And you would have found your peace

"No association wants the bustle, no team the alarm

And the contract which I have goes as fast as he came

The fact that nobody can refrain if the storm breaks out

And the storm will come whether one wants or not"

"Then you are the first, the homo, the freak

Then there is nobody who sees only the footballer in you

But, yes, it becomes better and the day is by view

One will create it, but I am not it"

It is your decision, quite all the same who says what

With the resignation whispered: "With hope in your heart"

Still unity achieves that the day will come

And the next home match is probably won

On the homebound way, this one thought

And if a smile already touches

All her homophobe complete idiot, all her silly Hater

All her forum-writers, all her desk culprit

To all her rotten small minds with growth pains

All her bible-quoters with your  hatred in the heart

All her officials with the common denominator

To all her hard gregarious animals, all her real men

Gathers and forms a front

And then see to what comes

And the day will come in we lift all our glasses

By the cover float, with 'nem toast congratulate him

On the first one which packs it, the most courageous of all

The first one which creates it

It will be the day in which we celebrate the love, the freedom and the life

Everybody loves that whom he wants and the rest remains quiet

One day as if one had won

This day will come

The Foreign Correspondent Returns - Stories About German Rock Music # 29

When I started this series I didn't thought that I will write so many contributions. Of course I could write about some bands that are real famous in Germany as well as these bands were popular throughout the New German Wave era. Nearly everything that was published by groups like Hubert Kah or Peter Schilling was garbage although millions have loved it. Other ones like BAP from Cologne stood for political correctness. While they sung their songs in in the Cologne dialect, the upraised forefinger has always been present. The whole hype annoyed me around this group and their singer Wolfgang Niedecken because everybody suddenly his opinion have represented and I it seemed to me already that there is a new Führer will uprise. But I have to admit that he did some good love songs when he was older and maybe wiser. Anyway, my intention was to feature some bands from my country that are worth to be listened or had a great influence and inspiration for todays music or just means a lot to a smart ass like me.

The band I will feature today is totally different from them. Kettcar was formed in 2001 by Marcus Wiebusch und Frank Tirado-Rosales. Both had their roots in a band that played hard punk music with political lyrics. called ...But Alive. Their music could be described as indie-rock or guitar-pop. I have become attentive for the first time to Kettcar when they have published their first EP to the free download on her homepage. Since then I can't get this song out of my mind:

Kettcar - Wäre Er Echt

Since then I followed them. With their second album they made their masterpiece. Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen (From sparrows and pigeons, roofs and hands - they mostly had that kind of weired titles for albums) was on my heavy rotation in 2005. The contents of the album are covered by the subject areas love, friendship, dreams, hope and everyday situations. The songs are often intimate and telling something about the struggle of life. That they act politically is shown on the oping song Deiche (dykes) with the words: Ein Volk steht wieder auf - na toll - bei Aldi brennt noch Licht / du weißt: Deiche brechen richtig - oder eben nicht (people get up again – fantastically – in Aldi light / still burns you know: Dykes properly break - or just not)

Kettcar - Deiche
Kettcar - 48 Stunden
Kettcar - Balu

And as a bonus: One of their most popular songs in an unplugged version. Recorded in a small club in Hamburg - that's why you hear the audience.

Kettcar - Landungsbrücken Raus

Enjoy and have a good weekend people.

40 Records in 40 Years (32/40 - 2005)

In view of the fact that we had undertaken no bigger trip last year we started this year with another trip to India. This time we wanted to explore the north or Rajastahn or maybe known as the land of the kings. Located in the north-east of India it is famous for its palaces and the great Thar Dessert. We knew that there less infrastructure in this part of India so we hired in Mumbai a taxi driver to take us for a 18 day round trip. And after all it was the best election we could make. Fixing a price a day that included everything made it easy to calculate and we didn't have to watch out a taxi driver any day. We told him about what kind of lodgings we expect and he picked out everything fine. Of course we knew that he get commission to bring us to this lodgings. It was a very easy way to travel through this country, sitting in the back of the old Amassador cars with no air-condition. It was fantastic to visit all the forts and palaces in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Udaipur. We were highly impressed by Pushkar, a small town with a small holy lake for the Hindus. Once a year hundreds of traders assemble in this town around to sell their camels. It's impressive to see thousands of camels often painted and ready to sell. We had great fun walking through this crowd, sitting down to some traders drinking tea and smoking some cigarettes. Another experience will also remain to us always in recollection. It is when we spent one night in the desert. We arranged that someone took us out in the dunes in the very late afternoon just before sundown. These were two impressions which remain unforgettable: The absolute silence and the cold at night. How glad we were when a boy came next morning to bring us a hot cup of tea.

The records impressed me also this year:

• The Arcade Fire - Funeral: Fine Indie Rock from Canada
• Tocotronic - Pure Vernunft darf niemals sterben: Another great record from one of Germany's best band
• Hard-Fi - Stars on CCTV: Sounds like back in the late 70s
• The White Stripes - Get behind me Satan: Maybe their masterpiece
• Element of Crime - Mittelpunkt der Welt: Another great German record
• LCD Soundsystem - same: Great track galore
• Marcus Miller - Silver Rain: Perfect fusion sound
• The Dead 60s - same: Perfect combination of punk, ska, dub and reggae
• Paul Weller - As is now: Another great record of the modfather
• Wolfmother - same: The return of Black Sabbath

Some of this years songs that stood the test of time:

Just a short look into the cinema in 2005:

• Brokeback Mountain: The other side of western
• Capote: Seymoure Hoffmann at his best
• Walk the Line: Fantastic biopic about the life of Johnny Cash
• Sin City: Sensational
• Fever Pitch: Fantastic novel - great movie

Some notes from the rest of the world

Another stampede during a religious pilgrimage kills more than 250 people in India // ETA is bombing in Madrid again // North Korea announces that it possesses nuclear weapons // Pope John Paul II dies // You Tube is launched // Massive rain in Mumbai, India with nearly 40 inches in 24 hours // Bloody civil war in Chad is starting

Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen (From sparrows and pigeons, roofs and hands) is a real top album. There is nothing in it to turn. "After you and how many of your friends" the measuring pole was extremely high. Kettcar has done justice to the expectations. Nevertheless, according to my personal opinion this album is even better than the predecessor. It begins with the song Deiche (dykes) a powerful song with great guitars and the magnificent sentence 'Only becaus one has got used to it, is not brilliant normal' and furthermore there are wonderful songs which act from the truthfulness of the love like of mentioning 48 Stunden (48 hours), Balu und Nacht (night).

Kettcar have packed me like for a long time nobody more. I keep this album for the best German-speaking album for many years has found accomodation. To handle their kind with the German has completely inspired me. They tell these small magic stories are able to grow in the head to novels where own cinema runs off, go down in the demimonde between dream and reality. Simply great!
No weak point can be discovered. This album develops a magic them is fantastic. Musically you sum up everything, the beat comes if he must come, the piano puts accents where to one more accent is absent, the guitars bring everything home like it must be a gigantic praise, smaller fine guitar rock pop in the best best way Dirk Darmstaedter used to do it. Kettcar simply didn't do anything wrong on this record.

Kettcar - Deiche
Kettcar - 48 Stunden
Kettcar - Balu
Kettcar - Anders als gedacht
Kettcar - Nacht