Vier Bonussongs

Wednesday's blog was all about music in foreign languages, specifically German. I spoke MIA.'s Zirkus, an album that my mum bought me during a visit to Germany some years ago, and I mentioned that, as much as I like the music on that CD, the fact that I can't understand the lyrics is a pretty major stumbling block for me.

Well, for whatever reason, this confession prompted several people to send me their own favourite Deutschesongs on Twitter. Perhaps they thought that MIA. simply weren't the right band for the job, and that their own favourites would be enough to break the language barrier and claim a permanent spot in my heart.

Let's find out, shall we?

Ohne Dich by Rosenstolz

Recommended by @Archrawr
This powerful piano ballad sounds very emotional - I love the singer's voice, and the way it builds from a heartbroken croak to a defiant, lighters-in-the-air belt. Goodness knows what kinds of emotional struggle she's dealing with, though (I could find out quite easily, of course, but I've decided to ban myself from Google Translate for the duration of this blog post).

Das Beste by Silbermond
Recommended by @BigCatMerv
This band sound like a German Lene Marlin (who, for the record, is Norwegian, though she sings in English). They've got that moody, pensive atmosphere that's all over Playing My Game, and they seem to be equally good at starting from unsure beginnings and finding a stunning chorus before too long.

Om Var Du Här by Kent
Recommended by @BarricadesRise
A bit noisier, this one. A bit noisier and a bit angstier-sounding. I like the strings, which are a very Bondesque, and it's becoming increasingly clear that Germany is streets ahead of Britain when it comes to crafting superhuge megachoruses. Once again, my poor understanding of the German language makes this feel like a song that's all flash and no substance, but the same could be said of quite a few Interpol songs and I like them just fine.

Guten Tag by Wir Sind Helden

Recommended by me!

Here's one that I remembered after writing Wednesday's blog - a song that, in spite of the language barrier, I truly adore. This is the kind of goofy, wide-eyed, sugary pop brilliance that I can appreciate in any language; they've taken the classic motorik beat (always a big point-scorer in my book) and funned it up to the max. Great stuff.

I daresay this is still just a scraping of the brilliance that Germany's musicians have offered up over the years. Keep those Deutschecorkers coming, musikfans!