Ah yes, the world is small, and Berlin even more so.
A few years ago, I intensely experienced and followed the beginnings of the event and artist management agency Wall City Music, but our paths have diverged in opposite directions over the last few years. However, as is often the case, you sometimes meet again in life.
Wall City Music books and manages the BERLIN BOOM ORCHESTRA.
Now, the new record from the Berlin upstarts BERLIN BOOM ORCHESTRA is before me. You may forgive me for using the term upstart, but what the band has achieved in its five years of existence truly deserves this term. I don't even want to mention that the band won first place twice in 2011 from the German Rock & Pop Foundation, as I always view such associations with skepticism. What is not viewed with skepticism, however, is this Reggae - Dancehall - monster!
Eighteen songs are on the silver disc, and each song packs a punch.
As mentioned, the BERLIN BOOM ORCHESTRA has been around since 2006 and emerged from the ashes of the Berlin ska band Skaquadrat. The combo consists of nine members. The sound of the music is based on reggae and dancehall. Thinking of Seed is certainly not wrong, as the band does indeed remind one of those great Berliners in terms of sound. However, the nine-piece is by no means a copy of Seed, let that be clear! There is more in the realm of dancehall, and this band shows that as well. Ska, Klezmer, Balkan, and Dub are also not unknown to the Berliners. It's a sound that simply blows you away. There is volume, ambition, catchiness, and danceability; it's all there. The band manages to create songs so well that even after multiple listens, you still find something that feels new. That is already something many bands fail to achieve and would be enough for a good rating on its own.
Let's move away from the music and take a look at the written word.
Here, it's like with the music. Ambition, depth, provocation, processing personal experiences, clear political statements, simple words with great meaning, and a lot of depth.
In particular, the socially critical lyrics have rarely been written with such sharpness in this genre. These are punk rock lyrics!
Just the lyrics to "Reisefieber" hit very close to home. It's nothing new that the band tells in this text, but in its radicality and uncompromising highlighting of grievances, it almost makes you feel sick while reading. Today, a Condor airplane made an emergency landing due to a bird strike (http://www.arcor.de/content/aktuell/news_panorama/86612561,1,artikel,Condor-Flug+abgebrochen+-+Vögel+in+Triebwerk.html). Has anyone thought about the birds and why they ended up in the engine? What does this have to do with the lyrics? Quite simply, the flight was headed to some vacation destination where Germans, along with all the other affluent people in the world, spend an "exotic," "adventurous," but very cheap vacation. It's so repulsive when you think about it. Why is it so cheap? Why should one stay in a hotel at night? And why is the hinterland so dry while the pool is always filled with fresh water? Think about it! The Berliners even provide support in the form of liner notes for each song. Here, a personal connection is created, and reflection is called for! Does anyone even know how many birds die in airplane engines each year just so we can fly on vacation? It's a large number. Don't tell me about animal protection because you love your dog so much but fly to the Dominican Republic while rare flying animals are being mutilated.
However, the nine Berliners not only have a lot of criticism in their quiver but also some thought-provoking songs like "Zwischen Gestern und Morgen" or "Spüre den Verlust." "Alles was zählt" and "Ein Tag im November" are also great cinema. Songs that address Germany, take a clear stance on the newly emerging patriotism, and question the loyalty of Germans. Big themes, good, understandable words, and statements that are unfortunately still not unnecessary.
Then there is the little scene hit "Nein, Mann!" which shows that the band can also play super fluffy reggae - ska - dub that grooves like hell and is so catchy that even people who don't know this sound will immediately like it.
Before I come to the conclusion, I must mention the great song "Endbahnhof Rudow." A song that could also be called "The Day after Party" or "The Train into the Pain." Oh yes, you are so right with this song!
Let's come to the conclusion of the album:
I am to and fro from "Hin und Weg." I could write so much more about this album, which simply excites me and makes me shout loudly at anyone who tells me that ska and similar styles are dead, "No, not as long as there is the BERLIN BOOM ORCHESTRA!" "Hin und Weg" is an album that will surely make history!
