July Playlist: Sing My Song to Me

I've spent a lot of July looking backwards, musically speaking, and that's reflected in my playlist for this month. Only three of the ten songs below were released in 2015; the others all come from bygone years, whether it's 2014 (Living Solar Panels) or 1967 (Jackie).

So I invite you to twist your neck around, gaze into the past, and enjoy the songs that I've been stuffing into my ears this month...

1. Ist Das So? - Wir Sind Helden

(from Die Reklamation)
Guten Tag is the Wir Sind Helden song that I blogged about earlier this month, but this fast 'n' furious opening track may be even better.

Wir Sind Helden

Today's blog is interactive! The first thing I'd like you to do is listen to the song below - it's called Guten Tag, and it's by a German band called Wir Sind Helden.

Pretty fun, right? Kinda goofy-sounding? It even had a cheesy truck driver's gear change in the middle!

At this point, I'd like you to grab a pen and write down what you think Guten Tag is about. Don't think too hard about it - just jot down the first thing that popped into your head when you heard it.

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.