[Introspective] Ich kann! [ can you recommend a German band?]

[Jonathan]

Hallo Elisabeth,

I'm a student of German, too. I'm on a bit of a Pause im Augenblick, but 
I spent a lot of time a couple of years ago hunting up contemporary 
German-language music. This is a lightly updated compilation of my 
recommendations I made for someone else. If you're a Pet Shop Boys fan 
like me, maybe you'll like this stuff, too.

And if you or any other listmember know of another band I should look 
into please share their name with me. Danke!

The great thing is a lot of these are affordably available for download 
on Amazon and on iTunes. I am more of an Amazon downloader, but include 
iTunes links here because of their generous samples.

2RAUMWOHNUNG: Girl-boy duo. Kind of dancey and electronic and poppy. 
However, "Melancholisch schön" is gorgeous acoustic tropicalia. Because 
of their output, these guys have given me the most pleasure. Their 
website offers downloadable PDFs with the German lyrics:

Melancholisch schön 2005 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/melancholisch-schon/id263711778
Kommt zusammen 2001 (remix album also available) 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/kommt-zusammen/id263680363, 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/kommt-zusammen-remix-album/id263689716
In Wirklich 2002 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-wirklich/id263699502
36 Grad 2007 (remix album also available) 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/36-grad/id211655248, 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/36-grad-remixe/id257897873
Es Wird Morgen 2004 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/es-wird-morgen/id263706923

WOLKE: Two guys. Love their stuff. Singer has very appealing voice. 
Other guy is talented keyboardist. Minimalist, intelligent pop. Hm. 
There are covers of English-language songs on a couple of the albums. 
Ich will mich befreien is an EP of five such covers:

Teil 3 2008 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/teil-3/id272133986
Sušenky 2005 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/susenky/id274780367
Ich will mich befreien 2007 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ich-will-mich-befreien-ep/id269258929
Möbelstück 2006 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mobelstuck/id180682953

Die Oliver Mick Erfahrung (solo project) 2009 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/die-oliver-minck-erfahrung/id336440900

QUARKS: Indie-electro-acoustic-bedroom-experimental. I treasure these 
two albums, and the remixes! Beautiful. Strange poetic lyrics:

Königin 1999 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/konigin/id73759045
Zuhause 1997
Rehmix 2000

ERDMöBEL: Band with male singer. Really appealing songs on this record:

Altes Gasthaus Love 2003 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/altes-gasthaus-love/id73597143

GESCHMEIDO: Another band of guys. Indie rock. A little Sea And Cake-y, 
if that means anything to you. I like them a lot:

Auf Wiedersehen 2007 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/auf-wiedersehen/id212162751
Zwischen den Mahlzeiten 1998
Same Same 2000

KLEE: Girl singer, two guys. The earlier album is more electronic then 
the follow-up. The follow-up is available domestically as "Honeysuckle" 
with English versions of three of the songs. Some of the songs are 
really great. Probably the poppiest of my recommendations:

Unverwundbar 2003 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/unverwundbar/id64887332
Jelängerjelieber 2005
Jelängerjelieber / Honeysuckle (US version) 2006

MäRZ: Rather experimental. Some of my favorite songs in the world, 
though. Some singing is in English:

Wir Sind Hier 2004 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wir-sind-hier/id62114412
Love Streams 2002 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-streams/id60595005

BLUMFELD: Indie rock band. First two records are sort of noisy, then 
they took a swerve in 1999 into adult contemporary. That record is 
extremely appealing, too. I still have to follow up on the subsequent 
albums:

Old Nobody 1999 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/old-nobody/id141710784
L’Etat et Moi 1994 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/letat-et-moi/id141709025
Ich-Maschine 1991 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ich-maschine/id141695784

STEREO TOTAL: Noisy post-punk pop. They sing in English, German, and 
French. Sie ist Franzözicherin, er ist Deutscher:

Do the Bambi 2005 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/do-the-bambi/id41366769
Paris<>Berlin 2007 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/paris-berlin/id260645985
My Melody 1999 http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/my-melody/id125018224

BARBARA MORGENSTERN: More experimental electronic. Downbeat overall:

Fjorden 2000
Nichts Muss 2003

JüRGEN PAAPE: Bouncy little dance track built on earlier German language 
recording:

So weit wie noch nie 2002 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/so-weit-wie-noch-nie/id287187671?i=287188098

JUSTUS KöHNCKE: Electronic. Sometimes sings in German. Fave song is "The 
answer is Yes" (The rest of the song is auf deutsch.):

Doppelleben 2005
Was ist Musik 2002

(As previously recommended, Wir Sind Helden are pretty cool, too. I have 
"Soundso". I need to find some more new bands!)

It's a whole lot, but I'm throwing it at you. I enjoy it so much.

Let me know what sticks!

Machs gut,

-Jonathan

> Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 06:26:01 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Elisabeth Connan<elisabethconnan at yahoo.com>
> To: introspective at lists.jameslick.com
> Subject: [Introspective] can you recommend a German band?
> Message-ID:
> 	<1309958761.95124.YahooMailClassic at web162018.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> Hi all!
>
> I need to improve my German and I'd really love if a fellow PSB fan could recommend a German band.
>
> thanks in advance!
> Elisabeth