For the 50th anniversary of Punk Tapete Records have got together with Vertil Verlag to put together this very cool mixtape. This could be alternately titled 36 German songs that John Peel probably played, this compilation covers 36 bands from the relatively well known to the totally obscure, all of whom feature in Jonas Engelmann 's book this Mixtape is the soundtrack too, that features over 200 well known and obscure German Music bizz folks, who choose their most important Deutsch Punk songs, while the press release and label website argue over the translation of the title, that could be Attack On The Land Of Cockaigne rather than Milk And Honey.
The A-side of the tape opens with Sirenen by Male whose Sirens blast out with angsty insistence, everything is kicking off and you want to get away from all the aggro, sounding somewhere between Telephone and Metal Urbain.
The album's title tune Angriff Auf's Schlaraffenland by Die Radierer is synth punk with a very bleepy side, to this dark tale that translates as Attack On The Land Of Milk And Honey or Cockaigne that is a spry evocation in the catchiest ways they can come up with.
Gefangen In Der BRD by Der KFc is straight ahead street punk, with raging psycho guitars and that rallying cry for Gefangen In Der BRD caught behind enemy lines once more, the tensions of east west spilt. Rock-N-Roll Freitag by Hans-A-Plast is super swift female led Ramones style punk assault and hope for Rock-N-Roll Friday to come once more.
Dammerung Cancelln, Gesang Stehan Lasen by Brullen is almost demo like, kitchen sink style punk dramedy, with pots and pan percussion and a desperate story unfolding over the searching chiming guitars in a post punk whirl.
Telefon by Palais Schaumburg is a German punk classic, sounding as weird and odd and wonderfully pop punk as it always has, the bassline kicks things on, but the odd instrumentation takes this up a few levels, this was certainly a Peel fave.
Raven Gegen Deutchland by Egotronic is rave punk for having a great old beer and braces rave in German, an anthem for the bratwurst and steins of Krombacher brigades to go to a Rave In Germany now, they will bring the classic techno beat and terrace chant vocals for everyone to chant along with.
Tu Doch Nicht So by Carambolage is almost like the German Slits, with a great bassline that is disembodied from the angry vocals and guitars, this has a frenetic energy expressing their pain and sorrow in classic Agit-Punk ways with a hint of a Nina Hagen influence.
Freundin by Die Aeronauten is a slow acoustic punk strummed song, about the Punk rock wars, beating the nazi skinheads and making it through to better times.
Stadt Der Blauen Eir by Korpus Kristi has the fraught energy of Pere Ubu but with a far angrier singer, bawling his heart out, over the Avant Punk fuzziness and explosive sounds, making me want to hear more of Korpus Kristi, this is the stand-out track on the first cd for me, how have I not heard this band before, they fit into the Electric Eels Cle-punk style mode nicely.
Zu Cool by Ostro 30 has Nina Hagen style vocals and synth punk sensibilities, for all of you who are Zu Cool for her, the keyboards almost have a schlager edge in places, this is odd in all the right ways.
On Macht by …But Alive is a Stranglers style speedy punk rumble for some dreadful goings on from the sound of it, guitars rage away with clattering energetic drums getting more intense as the lyrics seem to get even more bitter.
Keine Gnade by Isolierband who could be a German Cobra Verde, apart from just how twisted the singer sounds, while listing all the things he gives no mercy too. Ich Weiss Ja Wer Du Bist by Mutter whose sparse drums and raw guitars build through this angsty song.
Flimmern by Die Goldenen Zitroenen like many of the songs on here, has a great almost Cle-punk sound, in this case this sounding like the German retort to the Electric Eels Flapping Jets, making them another band I want to hear more about, figuring out just how much they want to get those Nazis out of Germany
Computamensch by Rotzkotz has some great early drum machine and Casio style synths, for this early Computa punk tune, that has bags of charm and implies we will all own computers soon.
Eisenhuttenstadt by Acht Eimer Huhnerherzen is a holiday punk anthem for Germans racing around the world to place towels in all the right places, they name check all the vital spots from Malaga to St Tropez and Honolulu while sounding like Helen Love's hausfrau.
Herz Aus Stein by Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle who are the best-known band on the first cd, having been Peel favorites, this is them at the bands scratchy intense best, with the almost collapsing sound, weird noises and insistent guitars.
The first side closes with Hau Weg Den Dreck by Family 5 a Jesus & Mary Chain style post punk ballad for those caught up in the star machine and all the pain it causes them, they need some Dexy's style brass to sooth the agony of it all.
The B-side opens with Industrie-Madchen by S.Y.P.H. that has a live feel, for this very basic, guitar riff and drums with the vocals making clear just how mad certain industries have become. Happy Bonbon by Barchen Un Die Milchbubis is in praise or is it despair, at the happy pills their doctors recommend for PMS.
Veloren by EA80 has stop start, jangly guitars and deep vocals, explaining just how lost they are in that world of computer games, this gets more despairing, dark fusillades of guitars make the distress clear.
Eine Minute Schweben by Die Nerven they sound a good bit like The Nerves but with a shoutier singer and guitar reports like the firing squad are letting loose, in between the tension mounts, like they want to be on an Atavistic compilation and are in love with Sympathy For The Record Industries 7" singles series.
Nein Nein Nein by Superpunk opens like a sweet jangly pop song, for a band who chose the wrong singer for the genre they play, he sounds rather fraught, set against the super nice backing, while his cries of Nein Nein Nein are almost punch in the air singalong, if this song didn't sound like it could have been played on Fischer Price toy instruments.
Mich Kreigt Ihr Nicht by Tommi Stumpf is industrial punk with some great crashing metal sounds, a motorik beat and cried vocals that makes this sound like a German Wiseblood meets Ministry crossover.
Ordinare Liebe by Toxoplasma is classic street punk Oi, that is hoping for some Ordinary Love in amongst the shouted gruff vocals and urgent riffing guitars. Pisse by Schnipo Schranke takes a classic oompah beat and adds a little piano and allows the female vocals to tell us all about the Pisse while sounding like this should be the soundtrack to a worrying cartoon.
Opa by Terrorgruppe who sound liked they ought to sound, angry and nasty enough to scare the hell out of all the straight normal people, while playing amphetamine raging aggro punk, they are up for the fight, so long as your against the authorities they will be ok with you.
Beate Zchape Hort U2 (Mit Jan Windermeier) by Antilopen Gang who from the sounds of it hate U2 more than they hate terror groups, they aren't afraid to get raging angry, letting all of their paranoia loose on this screed that feels threatening.
Deutschland by Slime uses a skanking dub-punk beat, angry vocals and explains just why they hate their homeland and all it has become. Freiburg by Tocotronic is almost a punk ballad, this slowly evolves with the distressed guitars allowing the vocals to be delivered deadpan, explaining just what went down in the black forest.
Auf Der Bordsteinkante (Nachts Um Halbs Eins) by Muff Potter, who is obviously Harry's German cousin, who had a far harder childhood and ended up with a raspy voice, choosing to weave his spells with guitars rather than wands, landing his accusations in a frenzy of drums and guitars.
Greif Ein by Dritte Wahl takes sturm und drang guitars marching across your speakers to that martial beat and machine gun sounds, with a German Lemmy on vocals leading the chants of Grief Ein while sounding like this will make a huge mosh pit erupt in fury, until the bass and guitar breakdown allows the paranoia to break free.
Geh Wie Ein Tiger by Normahl has a bit of a Psychedelic Furs edge musically, but with angrier vocals celebrating that tiger they want to walk like, while hoping they might have some Bangles style success.
16 Stereo Total-Die DachKatze by Die DachKatze has some Lotte Lenya style vocals, updating them for the modern world, adding some synth horror soundtrack music, this is wonderfully odd and compelling celebration of that roof cat.
The compilation ends with More Kicks by The Shocks a super speedy and intense cry for More Kicks and more of that stuff, they just want more, like any truly out there cider and glue punks they can never have too much.
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