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CD
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TR 530CD
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Robocop Kraus were formed in 1998 in Hersbruck, Germany. They have played more than 800 shows in clubs, squats, concert halls and on festival stages all over Europe, in the US, the UK, Japan and Russia. They have released (about) five albums on L'Age d'Or, Epitaph, Anti, Day After Records. Robocop Kraus are back! Incredibly, Smile is the first new Robo album in fifteen years. Germany's answer to "The Make Up / Franz Ferdinand / Talking Heads / The Rapture / Devo" have their own inimitable sound. How did the band manage to come up with the best album in their history, some 25 years after the debut performance in a Hersbruck youth centre? An album that leaves the anaemic, success-obsessed indie scene in its wake and one that we can already say will be among the most invigorating releases of the year, even though 2023 has only just begun. Smile is an aptly chosen title. The Robo's gallop fiercely and fearlessly through an array of musical styles and themes. No false modesty, no malice, embracing the spirit of "Innocent Fun". Not in the slightest, in an age of meticulously plotted musical paths (and life plans), such naive exuberance and inventiveness are more than just charming, they are positively subversive. Smile fizzes with impetuous energy and shines with the serenity of a band who have played over 800 gigs all over the world and yet play every single song as if their lives depended on it. "Young Man" is fueled by drums and bongos. Then comes the "Innocent Fun", a touching coming of age story, flaunting a euphoric power pop shiny suit. "On Repeat" floats on dreamy synthesizer waves before drifting into the kraut-disco. "World/Inferno" is dedicated to the group of the same name, with whom the Robo's toured Europe and the USA in the 2000s. The New York band's vocalist died last year. "Under Control" is a new wave banger that sets the emotional state of too much sentiment to music. A state which is swiftly reined in on the next track, thanks to the great rationalist Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Another highlight is the pop ballad "Cradle of Filth" which recounts an episode with the eponymous metal band on the night train to Saint Petersburg. There are flashes everywhere of that innate, idiosyncratic, unmistakable Robocop Kraus sense of humor, never ironic, never detached. On Smile, Robocop Kraus have succeeded in eluding the downward spiral that would see them end as a tiresome cult band or, perish the thought, a dusty legend. Produced by Jan Philipp Janzen (Die Sterne, Von Spar etc.)
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LP
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TR 530LP
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LP version. Robocop Kraus were formed in 1998 in Hersbruck, Germany. They have played more than 800 shows in clubs, squats, concert halls and on festival stages all over Europe, in the US, the UK, Japan and Russia. They have released (about) five albums on L'Age d'Or, Epitaph, Anti, Day After Records. Robocop Kraus are back! Incredibly, Smile is the first new Robo album in fifteen years. Germany's answer to "The Make Up / Franz Ferdinand / Talking Heads / The Rapture / Devo" have their own inimitable sound. How did the band manage to come up with the best album in their history, some 25 years after the debut performance in a Hersbruck youth centre? An album that leaves the anaemic, success-obsessed indie scene in its wake and one that we can already say will be among the most invigorating releases of the year, even though 2023 has only just begun. Smile is an aptly chosen title. The Robo's gallop fiercely and fearlessly through an array of musical styles and themes. No false modesty, no malice, embracing the spirit of "Innocent Fun". Not in the slightest, in an age of meticulously plotted musical paths (and life plans), such naive exuberance and inventiveness are more than just charming, they are positively subversive. Smile fizzes with impetuous energy and shines with the serenity of a band who have played over 800 gigs all over the world and yet play every single song as if their lives depended on it. "Young Man" is fueled by drums and bongos. Then comes the "Innocent Fun", a touching coming of age story, flaunting a euphoric power pop shiny suit. "On Repeat" floats on dreamy synthesizer waves before drifting into the kraut-disco. "World/Inferno" is dedicated to the group of the same name, with whom the Robo's toured Europe and the USA in the 2000s. The New York band's vocalist died last year. "Under Control" is a new wave banger that sets the emotional state of too much sentiment to music. A state which is swiftly reined in on the next track, thanks to the great rationalist Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Another highlight is the pop ballad "Cradle of Filth" which recounts an episode with the eponymous metal band on the night train to Saint Petersburg. There are flashes everywhere of that innate, idiosyncratic, unmistakable Robocop Kraus sense of humor, never ironic, never detached. On Smile, Robocop Kraus have succeeded in eluding the downward spiral that would see them end as a tiresome cult band or, perish the thought, a dusty legend. Produced by Jan Philipp Janzen (Die Sterne, Von Spar etc.)
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2CD
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TR 524CD
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Long time no hear: after an extended hiatus and just the occasional gig, Robocop Kraus have rewired and reunited. They're back in the game. Almost a quarter of a century has passed since the band was formed, a period which saw them release on labels like L'Age D'Or, Epitaph, and Anti. Now they have put together a compilation featuring all of the tracks which, for one reason or another, were not available on their regular albums, with an intriguing number of rarities and previously unreleased material. Meticulously detailed liner notes courtesy of the band. Artwork by Lorenzo Zimmermann.
"Why Robocop Kraus became the love of my life. Good question, if indeed it is a question (no question mark in sight): Founded in the late 1990s by members of former (secondary modern and grammar) school bands in the small Middle Franconian town of Hersbruck, endowed with the most rudimentary technical skills on their respective instruments (the deal was that every band member would play an instrument he had yet to master) and unafraid of hammering out songs from blatantly pilfered or well-worn musical ideas, the band was, to all intents and purposes, set up to fail. Nevertheless, Robocop Kraus became the love of our lives: five albums between the years of 1999 and 2007, the first on the band's own label Swing Deluxe, the last on the internationally renowned Epitaph label. Hundreds of shows across Europe, the USA, Russia, and Japan. Encounters and friendships with people and bands, adventures and events in squats, bars and clubs. Enough answers? Things quietened down in 2010, a lengthy break with just the odd show here and there. But last year, 2021, we had to concede that Robocop Kraus really are the love of our lives: a concert request was spontaneously accepted -- surprising even the promoter, not to mention ourselves. Back to the rehearsal room. Now we are six and we have more instruments too. We had to listen back to the old songs so we could practice, and as we rummaged through the archives we happened upon the 28 songs now gathered here together for you. They range from our very first recordings to songs for (and in) 2022. EPs, compilation tracks, a few all-time faves like 'Poor Soul Relax' and previously unreleased songs or alternative versions..."
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2LP
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TR 524LP
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Double LP version. Long time no hear: after an extended hiatus and just the occasional gig, Robocop Kraus have rewired and reunited. They're back in the game. Almost a quarter of a century has passed since the band was formed, a period which saw them release on labels like L'Age D'Or, Epitaph, and Anti. Now they have put together a compilation featuring all of the tracks which, for one reason or another, were not available on their regular albums, with an intriguing number of rarities and previously unreleased material. Meticulously detailed liner notes courtesy of the band. Artwork by Lorenzo Zimmermann.
"Why Robocop Kraus became the love of my life. Good question, if indeed it is a question (no question mark in sight): Founded in the late 1990s by members of former (secondary modern and grammar) school bands in the small Middle Franconian town of Hersbruck, endowed with the most rudimentary technical skills on their respective instruments (the deal was that every band member would play an instrument he had yet to master) and unafraid of hammering out songs from blatantly pilfered or well-worn musical ideas, the band was, to all intents and purposes, set up to fail. Nevertheless, Robocop Kraus became the love of our lives: five albums between the years of 1999 and 2007, the first on the band's own label Swing Deluxe, the last on the internationally renowned Epitaph label. Hundreds of shows across Europe, the USA, Russia, and Japan. Encounters and friendships with people and bands, adventures and events in squats, bars and clubs. Enough answers? Things quietened down in 2010, a lengthy break with just the odd show here and there. But last year, 2021, we had to concede that Robocop Kraus really are the love of our lives: a concert request was spontaneously accepted -- surprising even the promoter, not to mention ourselves. Back to the rehearsal room. Now we are six and we have more instruments too. We had to listen back to the old songs so we could practice, and as we rummaged through the archives we happened upon the 28 songs now gathered here together for you. They range from our very first recordings to songs for (and in) 2022. EPs, compilation tracks, a few all-time faves like 'Poor Soul Relax' and previously unreleased songs or alternative versions..."
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