August 2022 Recap

 And NOW we are officially caught back up with the Monthly Recap feature. It's a lot easier to do without digging into each individual thing and focusing purely on the numbers. Hooray math?

August is probably going to be the strangest looking month of them all... actually, who am I kidding? They've all been unique this year - hooray MUSIC! 3101 scrobbles, or an average of exactly 100 per day (plus 1 extra), equally out to 8 days and 16 hours worth of music played end to end. Top genres were Rock, Alternative Rock, Industrial Metal, Alternative and Pop. Top hours were 10-11p, 12-1p and 1-2p. 

Top Tracks for August

10. Rammstein - Kuss Mich (Fellfrosch)

9. Rammstein - Reise, Reise

8. Rammstein - Alter Mann

7. forever unknown - sad people, blue eyes

6. Five for Fighting - Superman (It's Not Easy)

5. Dexter Freebish - Leaving Town

4. Brave the Sea - The Devil Brought Tequila

3. Rammstein - Mein Teil

2. Spiritbox - Sew Me Up

1. Silversun Pickups - Alone on a Hill

 

Well, there's one band that stands out on that list - followers of this page know that I had the chance to see Rammstein live at the beginning of this month, and so of course they ruled the chart.

 

Top Artists for August

10. Brave Saint Saturn

9. Silversun Pickups

8. Florence + The Machine

7. Cold

6. Demon Hunter

5. Circle of Dust

4. Anberlin

3. VNV Nation

2. Assemblage 23

1. Rammstein

 

To say that it wasn't close would be an understatement. R+ had almost 3 times as many scrobbles as #2 and 5x from #3. Looking at the most scrobbled artists for the entire year, they currently sit at #1, and just the month of August would place them in 7th for the entire year. Yowza.

What a show.

Shoutout to Last.FM for always giving me the deets.

July 2022 Recap

 July was a month that received a big bump in scrobbles due to another new album splurge and a heavier workload. 3428 total scrobbles, a 31% jump from June and making for exactly 9 days of listening. Top genres were Rock, Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Soul, and Oldies, and the top 3 scrobble hours were 12-1p, 1-2p and 5-6p. 

Top Tracks for July

10. Rammstein - Lugen

9. Truss - Mayhem

8. Truss - Broken Glass

7. Purity Ring - Heartsigh

6. Truss - All the Bugs

5. Plushgun - Sarah's Locker

4. Brave the Sea - The Devil Brought Tequila

3. Matchbox Twenty - Last Beautiful Girl

2. Colony 5 - Synchronized Hearts

1. forever unknown - sad people, blue eyes

 

We've reached a point in the year where the Top 20 Countdown songs start really gaining steam. Summer and autumn bring reflection with the upcoming Countdown, and there are a few songs listed here that will definitely be there.

 

Top Artists for July

10. Colony 5

9. Assemblage 23

8. Steam Powered Giraffe

7. Apoptygma Berzerk

6. VNV Nation

5. Circle of Dust

4. Cold

3. Matchbox Twenty

2. Truss

1. Anberlin

 

Truss' new album got them a hefty chunk of streams, but they only have 1 record whereas the likes of Matchbox Twenty and Anberlin have several. It is the local curse that I often speak of - bands with only a dozen or so songs tend to fall behind artists with a richer discography. It is what it is at the end of the day.

Thanks to Last.FM as always!

Rammstein Ranker - Liebe ist für alle da

Liebe ist für alle da signaled a return for the German titans, after a 5 years hiatus where the band almost self-destructed. Fortunately (for all of us fans) they found a way to get along and operate as a six-headed monster, and found their back to recording a new record.

On this offering, the band kicked their absurdity to a new level, premiering the first single on a porn site and offering a deluxe bonus edition of the record with fuzzy handcuffs and dildos molded after each member and their genitalia. The album's booklet also features a lot of graphic and gruesome scenes, with a heavy lean towards nudity. The album was released in 2009 and was the band's last disc before an extended period of inactivity.

 

 

 

 

Rammstein -  Liebe ist für alle da

 

11. Wiener Blut

Okay, I lied on the last ranking. Wiener Blut (Viennese Blood) is absolutely the worst Rammstein song. There are absolutely zero redeeming musical qualities, and the fact that the story it is based around is true makes it even more horrifying.

10. Pussy

What do you do after disappearing from the map for 4+ years? You write a lead single that alternates between German and English lyrics, specially about sex. A lot of what R+ do is specifically for shock value, and making a video that had to be released on a porn site... because it's straight up porn. I dunno, even if the lyrics were totally in German, I don't think they could've ironed the cheese out on this one. Musically, it rollicks along as if it is not supposed to be taken seriously, which makes it even more amusing as a single.

9. Roter Sand

Roter Sand (Red Sand) is a lovely song that opens with singer Till Lindemann whistling before he sings about two lovers who have an old-fashioned pistol duel for a woman. The unnamed woman loves the protagonist more, but he is not quick enough and perishes. It's fairly bland other than the great lyrical work, otherwise. Sometimes their softer songs hit the mark, and sometimes they fall a little short.

8. Haifisch

Haifisch (Shark) is an interesting song, because it seems to be about the members of Rammstein and their love for each other as well as the fans, It's kind of a follow up to Ein Lied in that regard, and was released as the last single on the record. It has an upbeat mix of Flake Lorenz' keys and Christoph Schneider's pounding snare and tom work and is well strung together, if not standing out against the rest of the record.  The video is a hat-tip to all of their previous work as well, with Till's mysterious death being shown committed by different members in scenes from old music videos.

7. B********

What would a Rammstein record be without confusing lyrics that can be translated or twisted into several different meanings? B********, or Bückstabü is never explicitly spelled out in any translation, and any time they are asked the band members say it can mean whatever you want it to mean. The lyrics are wholly ambiguous too - could be about sex, could be about anything you want it to be. The guitars are blistering and the song punches hard, so I guess take it for whatever you want?

6. Liebe ist für alle da

Christoph's drums immediately announce that you're about to go through a thrill ride on Liebe ist für alle da (Love is there for all), and with the strings joining in, you're pushed into a tidal wave of aggression and might. Curiously, it's the only album title that is more than 2 words (in fact, Reise, Reise is the only other album title that is more than 1), but this album is a little short on single word titles. Like many songs, this one is about longing for a sexual encounter with a woman, in which the protagonist dreams up a rape fantasy. I'm not sure how the band keeps making this lyrical plot device stick, but if they keep writing songs that hit this hard, I'm sure they can keep doing whatever they want!

 

5. Ich tu der weh

Easily the most controversial of the songs on this record, Ich tu der weh (I hurt you) is about S+M, plain and simple. Even the opening guitar riff feels like a whip cracking against willing skin. The line "Du liebst mich denn ich lieb dich nicht" obviously points to a master and servant relationship, and the lyrical content led to the song being banned in Germany. The group had to release a version of the album with this song omitted to make up for the fact that they were placed on the naughty list. The song itself is outstanding from a sonic standpoint, with Flake's keys shining brightest and the guitar work mirroring several songs from the Herzeleid/Sehnsucht era.

4. Mehr

I was honestly surprised when I pulled up Spotify and saw that Mehr (More) was one of Rammstein's least streamed songs. The song speaks of the singer's desire for excess in every aspect of his life, with a chorus that calls back to the bands earlier days of belting out the same word over and over again. The chorus guitars are crunchy and punchy, and Flake's keys help carry the song to completion. It's really just a solid song top to bottom, with a lot of different riffs and timing patterns thrown together to make another banger.

3. Rammlied

I don't think I've ever seen a band that likes to make up words as much as Rammstein does. Rammlied literally translates into "Ramm-song", and the band again uses it to incorporate their name into their lyrics. That's what, the 5th or 6th song to do so? They're giving KMFDM a run for their money in that regard. Anyways, Rammlied is about how the band is back - didja miss em?! That's pretty much it. "Wenn die Freude traurig macht, Keine Sterne in der Nacht, Bist du einsam und allein, Wir sind hier schalte ein" is one of my favorite verses in any R+ song. The guitars blend into the synths and the song feels like it wouldn't be out of place on any Rammstein record or live show. A truly titanic anthem about, well, themselves!

2. Waidmanns Heil

Waidmanns Heil (Hunter's Greeting, or Good Hunting) is one of those songs where you're immediately transported to a better place the moment the music starts. That faux bugle horn at the beginning immediately gets me jacked, and Till screaming "Die Kreatur muss sterben!" only serves to ramp the adrenaline level to 10. It's another one of those classic R+ tracks that just sounds and feels big. Lyrically, it could be thought of as a song about hunting for wild animals, or for a potential mate. I was honestly kind of surprised that this one never made it as a single, because it hits as hard as anything they've ever released.

1. Frühling in Paris

Well, I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that my favorite song off of this disc is another beautiful one. Seemann, Mein Herz brennt, Wo bist du, and almost Engel. Somehow the band is equally skilled in throwing massive hammers and blasting out tremendous ballads. Like Wo bist du, Frühling in Paris (Springtime in Paris) has a screaming keyboard solo from Flake that helps to cement the song together. Driving acoustic guitar, hard-hitting snare and a sneaky bass-line that you might not notice on the first listen. It's just a fantastic song and was immediately my favorite when the album first dropped. Till speaks of a fling in Paris on this one - fairly straightforward without any of the usual R+ frills. Just another beautiful one with a soaring chorus and fantastic wordplay.

 

 

Well, that's about it. I wanted to do the first six albums because I've had over a decade with each of them, whereas the newest records were released in the last 3 years. I honestly haven't listened to the untitled record in the last year - I spun it so much after it came out that I needed a break. If I had to rank the albums, it would probably go like this:

6. Liebe ist für alle da

5. Herzeleid

4. Sehnsucht

3. Rosenrot

2. Mutter

1. Reise, Reise
 

The bottom half of LIFAD is just too weak to balance out the stronger songs, whereas Herzeleid is just more timeless at its peak. Sehnsucht has a load of good songs, but the big ones on Rosenrot just feel better. Mutter... well, what can be said? The fact that they followed it with Reise, Reise is incredible - how do you pack that much good music into such a short amount of time?

Anyways, thanks for following along if you took the time to read these. Below a link to each album's power ranking breakdown. If you don't already... have a good one!

Herzeleid

Sehnsucht

Mutter 

Reise, Reise

Rosenrot 

Rammstein Ranker - Rosenrot

 Rosenrot has always been an album of intrigue for me. It is much maligned among the fanbase as being the band's weakest offering, in spite of its album sales and chart positioning. The album has an uptick on softer songs, and was initially titled Reise, Reise Pt2 due to half of the songs coming from the prior recording session. A lot of fans consider it to be mostly leftovers, and the band themselves consider the album to have been rushed, but for me it was the first album that was "new" when I started listening to them, and was therefor heavily relevant to what I was going through in my life at the time.

Regardless of how you perceive it, Rosenrot was released in 2005, and the band went on hiatus after releasing it rather than touring to promote. 

Rammstein - Rosenrot

11. Feuer und Wasser

If Adios isn't the worst Rammstein song, then it has to be Feuer und Wasser (Fire and Water). I don't even know what they were trying to accomplish musically. An all-time clunker, for sure.

10. Spring

Spring (Jump) isn't much far behind Feuer on the crap scale, though. I've always wondered if this was just a demo that got thrown together quickly due to the recording sessions being rushed. The keys do very little to boost the song, and while the guitars are heavily down-tuned, it is only the story that saves Spring. A man climbs to the top of a bridge to view the water, and a crowd, thinking him to be suicidal, urges him to jump and eventually pushes him off. Yeah, these dudes are fucked up. Lol

9. Ein Lied

The album ends with Ein Lied (A Song), easily the least heavy offering in the entire catalogue. There is a singular acoustic guitar, percussive tapping, and wailing keys peppered in. The song seems to be an homage to the fans of the band, with the line "Immer wenn ihr traurig seid, Spielen wir für euch" feeling extremely melancholy and uplifting at the same time.  I don't really think it's a bad song, but if you're looking for some R+ grit, it's just not there.

 

8. Benzin

Benzin (Petrol/Gasoline) is the lead single and kicks off the record with a bang. Till Lindemann sings about how he doesn't need all the other vices of the world, just give him some fuel to burn with. What could be more Rammstein than that?! It's a big time workout jam that'll get your heart racing double time.

 

7. Stirb nicht vor mir (Don't die before I do) 

On the flip side, you have Stirb nicht vor mir (Don't die before I do). I think this song caught everyone (myself included) off guard, with Sharleen Spiteri (from the universally successful Scottish band Texas) singing English lyrics to counter Till's German serenade. I've heard that the other band members were disappointed that they didn't bring back German singer Bobo for the song, electing to appease the American fans of the band. As it stands, it's my default mellow Rammstein tune, and got me through a very difficult breakup a few years after high school. For as great of a growl and scream singer as he is, Till can absolutely blast out some ballads.

6. Te quiero puta!

Of all the controversial and bizarre offerings R+ has put forth, Te quiero puta! (I love you, whore!) is exactly what you'd expect from a lyrical standpoint, with amusing innuendos and aggresive sexual phrasing. It's just that the song is sung entirely in Spanish and features a mariachi-esque trumpet throughout. But at its heart it is 100% Rammstein, and I think any bickering otherwise is simply posturing. The lead riff is explosive and the horns kick the entire song up a notch. This album doesn't have much in between the ballads and the blasters.

 

5. Mann gegen Mann

From the moment Ollie Riedel's bass comes in, you know you're about to be treated with a massive rocker. Mann gegen Mann (Man against Man) is a song about male homosexuality, with a greasy, dirty video to go with it. It's about as controversial as Rammstein gets, and the band deftly dances around the topic without making it political or taking a stance. The line "Gleich und gleich gesellt sich gern" makes me laugh so hard every time I hear it. But in reality, every single band member gives their all on this one, and it was a worthy single to feed the masses.

 

4. Zerstören

Another brutal assault, Zerstören (Destroy) is simply about, well, destroying things. Obliterating everything in your path. Well, maybe not everything... the chorus line "Doch es darf nicht mir gehören" translates to "but only if it does not belong to me". You get the point, and Till drives it home spending the last minute of heaviness listing different ways to destroy things. Ollie's bass perfectly complements the crunchy guitars from Paul Landers and Richard Z Kruspe on this one, punctuated by a screaming solo before the bridge. A soft poem is read at the end to bring the listener back to Earth.

3. Rosenrot

The title track from the record, Rosenrot (Rose Red) is adapted from German poetry and Brothers Grimm stories, creating a beautiful and tragic song about two young lovers, one of whom perishes trying to fetch a rose for his love. When this album was first released, I listened to this song over and over again. It's sad, it's exciting, and it's wonderfully poetic. It was initially slated to be the first single on Reise, Reise before the band scrapped it and threw it on an entirely different record all together. That's ballsy but I think it paid off as the cornerstone for this record.

 

2. Hilf mir

The album opens with pyromania and finds it's way back to the flames in Hilf mir (Help me), a story about a child who is obsessed with fire to the point that they eventually immolate themselves. The tune alternates from soft to heavy, as Till tells the story from a first-person point of view. Every time I hear the opening wail of the guitars, I am ready to roll. The chorus of "Das Feuer liebt mich, Das Feuer liebt mich nicht" is a perfect example of the regret the child feels as they perish and scream for help, despite knowing that they are all alone. What a ripper. It's a different type of heaviness from Mann gegen Mann and Zerstoren, but it works all the same.

 

1. Wo bist du

Is Wo bist du (Where are you?) the best of all Rammstein tracks? There's a definite argument that it may be one of the most emotional, but it certainly isn't the heaviest or the most clever. Is is beautifully done and features a tear-jerking keyboard solo from Flake after the bridge. From a personal standpoint, it easily cuts the deepest of any R+ song, due to the discovery of infidelity between my parents shortly after the album was released. I played this one over and over and over again, and it has carried me through several different difficult seasons. The keys in this song are simply majestic as Till sings about being horribly alone and unable to find solace. The song definitely wouldn't be as big as it is without the keyboard solo - huge props to Flake there.

Alright, well that's 5 of the first six, with one 2009's Liebe ist fur alle da left. If you have any thoughts, feel free to comment or discuss!