For the last 10 years or so, Bunker Wolf and his Teenage Panzerkorps, otherwise known as DER TPK, have been churning out their own brand of demanding kraut-punk, and they have recently unleashed their latest opus, German Reggae.With two lp's, and a handful of ep's and singles under their belt, the boys have given us a fantastic new long player, and it's by far their best yet, in our opinion.Rarely do we judge a book, or record by it's cover, but this particular album cover speaks volumes about it's musical contents.I was pretty much blown away within the first two minutes of listening.
German Reggae is chock-full of early post-punk rhythms and krautrock beat worship, pulling bits and pieces from these genre's most notable acts, such as Chrome, NEU!, Factrix, The Fall, and Savage Republic.But these are just a few the more obvious parts of this record, as each listen slowly reveals new tones and tiny melodies hidden within it's simple, yet potent layers.Wolf's vocals are delivered in a rather typical, stern TPK fashion, with amgered and spiteful shouts, like a goth tinged, German speaking Mark E. Smith.His commanding voice echoes amidst the dense walls of sturdy kraut-style percussion.Thick, grainy organs run wildly throughout the songs, and accompany the sharp and icy guitar jaunts quite nicely.The vintage production style gives the songs a nostalgic charm, with a mild mid-fi tone, and a bit of re-verb and delay are drizzled over almost every sound that is heard.
Overall, Reggae.. clearly emanates a dark and foreboding minimalist vibe, but some of the songs also tend to lean towards pop-oriented, kraut-punk anthems, and keep the album's inventive charm buoyant and free of filler tracks or painful lulls.Abstract and unique, German Reggae is a fantastic record from start to finish.TPK's Tago Mago.Check it out.
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