While my general music preferences tend to be rather “moody,” shall we say, there’s something to be said about a high energy band with an infectious melody and lyrics you can’t get out of your head. And, from my experience, there is no better way to absorb the German language (or any foreign language, for that matter) than to have lyrics stuck in your head: you repeat them over and over, letting them sink in while you fully start to understand the meaning. This month’s German language music feature is one of the German bands that falls into that category for me. This month is Berlin-based indie rock band Mega! Mega!
By music industry standards Mega! Mega!, who were founded in 2009, aren’t exactly newcomers to the scene. But even with their major record deal on Warner Music, they are still an up and coming band. The quartet released an EP, Die Nerven liegen blank, as well as their debut full-length album, Behalt die Nerven, last year. They also competed in the 2013 Bundesvision Song Contest, representing the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, with their track “Strobo.” Mega! Mega! finished in a respectable tenth place.
But let’s talk about those memorable tracks in the German language. While “Strobo” may not have won over the Bundesvision Song Contest judges, it certainly scored points with me. Similarly, the band’s track “Pro Anti” has a repetitive chorus of the song’s title that works effectively at getting stuck in your head and getting you dancing. The third video included below, for the album’s title track, is the band’s most recent, having been released just last month. It’s a bit silly and features a healthy amount of green screen technology (I’m guessing the band did their own stunts on this one.) but one thing is clear: Mega! Mega! don’t take themselves too seriously.
It’s a winning combination. Next time you’re looking for some music to listen to, consider Mega! Mega! to get your German language muscles moving.
