German rocks
October 9, 2009Peter Fox: Urban rasta man
It doesn't matter where he goes - any place the Berlin-based dance hall and hip-hop artist Peter Fox performs, people start shaking their hips. 2009 has been a successful year for the musician: his album "Stadtaffe" (Urban Ape) has sold 700,000 copies, and the singer has grabbed three ECHO awards and two Comets. His singles are played on all the airwaves. But the popularity has gotten to him; he's said it's time to abandon his solo projects and plans to join up with his band SEEED again in 2010.
Silbermond: Poetry that rocks
Silbermond call themselves a rock band, but that's debatable. The singles they've produced until now have almost all been pop ballads, but the three guys and one girl in the band do crank it up both on their albums and on stage. Along with bands Juli and Wir sind Helden, Silbermond have helped to pave the way in showing that bands can make it with German lyrics.
Rammstein: The provokers
The band has sold 12 million records, half of them abroad. Rammstein is the most successful German-language band around the globe. The dark timbre of their singing and the grumble of their guitars have made them world-famous, and an occasional scandal or two doesn't hurt their popularity either. But, the video for their new single "Pussy" will hardly be prime-time television material since the shock rockers pose with dozens of porno queens.
Roger Cicero: The lounge lizard
Cicero shows that German has swing. His third album, "Artgerecht" (literally: Appropriate to the Species), has sold well this year, with his music once again heralding women. The slick Berlin-born singer also appeared on screen for the first time this year, with Heike Makatsch in the film "Hilde."
Tokio Hotel: Teen idols
You can say what you will about Tokio Hotel's music or appearance, but one thing's for sure: The four boys from Magdeburg are incredibly successful with what they do and fill concert halls around the world. Recently, the band has tried to show its more mature side. Other than "Bird of Paradise" Bill, the rest of the musicians now almost seem overly conventional. Their new album - in both German and English - is likely to stay at the tops of the charts for weeks.
Clueso: The poet
Clueso has molted into a true-blue pop poet over the years, even though the man from Erfurt started out in hip-hop. His low-key approach has gained his fame and his "So sehr dabei" (Really There) tour has drawn huge crowds. His accompanying live album has been at the top of the charts for months. The lyricist was even clever with his name: it's a take-off of Inspector Clouseau from the famous Pink Panther films.
Die Toten Hosen: Primal punks
The year 2009 can hardly slide by without hearing something from Die Toten Hosen. The "In aller Stille" (In Complete Tranquility) album tour once again took the old punks from Dusseldorf to Argentina, where they've become the nation's darlings. Their legendary Christmas concerts - six in Dusseldorf this year - have been sold out for over a year.
Jan Delay: Stylin' man
Jan Delay doesn't necessarily enjoy a good reputation among musicians since many consider him arrogant. And, there's no denying that he thinks highly of himself, but no matter since all of Germany likes to groove to his music. The album "Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Soul" (We Kids from the Soul Train Station) shot right to the top of the Hit Parade - proof enough that his mix of funk and soul has plenty of style.