Die Goldenen Zitronen (The Golden Lemons), born a punk band in 1980s Hamburg and having developed into a seminal art punk collective, present their new album. After 11 long-players and countless collaborations with artists such as Peaches, Wesley Willis (with whom the band toured the US), Chicks On Speed, Françoise Cactus (of Stereo Total), Mark Stewart (of The Pop Group), DJ Koze or Michaela Melián, »Flogging A Dead Frog« is their first release on Altin Village & Mine.
»Flogging A Dead Frog« assembles instrumental and, for the first time, English reworkings of songs of their most recent albums. Far from being a complacent »Best of«, the album directly plugs into the band’s impressive body of work with the opener, ›Fan Without Fan‹, being a reworking of the most recent album’s final track, ›Wer Hier‹. »Flogging A Dead Frog«, then, unfolds a re-contextualization in two senses: For one, its instrumental tracks emphasize the fact that the band’s sound has always been much more than a musical accompaniment for the unrelenting social commentary of singer Schorsch Kamerun. Here, the album brings out the Goldie’s tremendous nomadism between punk, techno and krautrock, its dramaturgical condensations mirroring the diverse engagements of the six members in theater and film projects. On the other hand, in the English versions of songs such as ›If I Were A Sneaker‹, a song about European immigration policy, or ›The Investor‹, »Flogging A Dead Frog« proves a consequent re-adjustment of the band’s political scope, opening discourse on matters that have desas- trously proven to not be exclusively pertinent to Germany.
As is typical for the Goldenen Zitronen, these two interventions—one concerning the band’s oeuvre, the other its environment—are inseparable and testament to their political aesthetics. A political aesthetics of which »Flogging A Dead Frog« is not a review, but a substantial extention.
Die Goldenen Zitronen have been one of the defining bands in the German indie scene. Since they were founded in Hamburg in
84' , they have released 13 albums. Initially as part of the Fun-Punk scene, they expanded their musical spectrum from simple, fast R'n'R songs to more experimental structures. Their music is a strong connection to New Wave, Krautrock and Electronic music....more
Ich habe "Vertigo Days" kurz nach Erscheinen ein mal gehört, gemocht und erst einmal leider vergessen. Heute beim Überfliegen meiner Notizen bin ich wieder daraufgestoßen und habe bemerkt, WIE gut das eigentlich ist.
Am schönsten finde ich das "Into Love"-Pattern zu Anfang und Ende. mr_modern_music
The tracks with Moor Mother are where I hoped Tricky would end up. There are similarities but there's an awesome heft in this album that takes the whole thing to somewhere kind of familiar but so different. The second half feels like I just fell off a cliff edge into the swirling void.
Well done folks a great album jazzberto
The Australian post-punk outfit's second album courses with unkempt kinetic energy, full of spring-tight basslines and hypnotic riffs. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 8, 2024
I'm so pissed off. They are sexy, catchy, smart and punk. Everything I Iost when I turned 45.
I love this band. If you have a shred of love left for young punkrockers and genuinely good music you will support these pricks.
They might be assholes IRL but who cares. Cheers. Torsten Von Nerdbot