Jugend Forscht or Youth Research is part of the current re-issue program for Hannover based Kraut-Punks Der Moderne Man who were Peel favourites back in the bands 1980-84 original lifetime as part of the No Fun Records scene and are playing a few re-union shows to celebrate 45 years since they formed.
The album opens with Das Disco-Lied that has a good grinding punk guitars and distressed vocals telling us all about how disco has ruined his life, well I assume that's what he's on about, this sounds similar to the Disco Zombies.
30 Grad-/30 Grad+ is slower shards of guitar trying to change the temperature of the room from Wire taut energy into something a little bit dubbier, but as reworked by bands who have only heard Punk bands like The Clash playing dub, the urgency arrives.
Gib Mir Den Tod has a more East German feel as the oppressed keep shouting Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death over the weird kraut dub punk, the bassline seals this.
Unmodern is super speedy jangle punk claiming they want to be Unmodern which is totally understandable if you were living in Berlin or East Germany in 1980, maybe the bands hometown of Hannover was bleak too.
Baggersee sees them taking a road trip to Baggersee, not sure if it's a winter ski trip or boating in summer, or something else, it sounds like dark things happen, with odd yelps, skanking guitar with double time bass riff.
Der Sandman has Gang Of Four style guitars and slow narrated vocals telling Der Sandman's tale, when the vocals split, it becomes more Brechtian punk with a very odd organ sound they jangle round.
Blaue Matrosen is the first tune from Ton Coop adding classical synth to the post punk guitars, this is almost cartoon chase punk.
Laut is slow dubby bass with speedy guitars, handclaps and the feeling that it would be great to understand the lyrics.
Fernsehzeit steals liberally from all sorts of new wave tunes, they give Germany's answer to Black Flags TV Party.
Unmodern the Ton Coop version is more dubby and slow than the album version, The drums are far more central this time.
Der Sandman is the first tune from the Spenge ep and is the Trance mix this is much sparser with the main narration sounding rather deadpan, the bass is very sparse, with chanted vocals in places this has a P.I.L. Metal box feel rather than being trancey.
Nicht Warden is out on patrol looking for miscreants out after curfew and is almost a cross between Wipers and Disco Zombies with odd bongo action.
Bis Ans Ende Der Welt is sax led with a Beat influence and some scratchy guitar runs it's a weird Kraut reworking of the Bed's Too Big but with a decidedly Germanic twist as they are singing about the end of the world.
Tanz Dich Frei is dying to be used on a dance show, this has a very early 80's electro funk bass, this sounds like the kraut Higsons, but using the bass effects John Cale was in love with in the early 80's, a wonderfully odd yet familiar tune.
R.A.G. is the first tune on the Neues Aus Hong Kong ep it's deeply funky along a Contortions meets Higsons style, but with deadpan spoken word vocals like it's on a 12" single on Ze Records.
Neues Aus Hong Kong keeps the funk adding in a clap track, some cheap casiotone type keyboards and insistent guitar on this instrumental.
Fur Frau Krause is I hope a song in tribute to Dagmar, but don't think it is, this has dual vocals and laid-back Kraut funk feel, cool brass stabs and a laid-back beat.
Kinderfest is punkier, speedier like the kids are bouncing off the walls all hepped up on too much sugar and Coca cola, yet the guitar breakdown suggests something nastier is going on.
Kein Film is slow disturbed post punk with shotgun snare drum taking aim as this noir movie unfurls.
The album closes with Fur Frau Krause (Including The Return Of Frau Krause) a super dubby funky Neu Wave take that is far more dancefloor than the first version, that in places almost insists you sing along with them, just wait for the dirty sax solo as the extended remix really goes places with some immense bass drops.
Find out more at https://shop.tapeterecords.com/der-moderne-man-jugend-forscht-singles-eps-demos-1980-1983-4261 https://www.facebook.com/dermoderneman
