Spilker (front right) returns to old class with a new formation.
Photo: dq agency
After the departure of bassist Thomas Wenzel and drummer Christoph Leich in 2018, many long-time fans secretly wrote off the project Die Sterne. Everything that would come now, according to the widespread assumption, would only be museum self-government on the way to retirement. But singer and guitarist Frank Spilker was undeterred and gathered a number of new musicians around him, with the help of which the second album of the new star era is now being released. And after years in which the band was only able to trigger a pleasantly comfortable swaying with their outputs, the new album »Hallo Euphoria« suddenly knows how to inspire again.
That’s not so much because Die Sterne reinvented themselves on the new album, as is sometimes rumored these days. Although there are a few musical experiments – such as the string arrangements in the opener “Stellt mir ein Clown zu Seite” – which in this form represent a novelty in the star cosmos. But all in all, “Hallo Euphoria” is a classic star album: an equally funky and melodic bass, a slim and filigree organ, drums and guitar that stay comfortably in the background, and Spilker’s unmistakable voice with lyrics that are true would theoretically do well on house facades, but are actually far too clever for that.
So everything is the same with Die Sterne – and yet you haven’t experienced this energy and joy of playing in such a concentrated form on a star album for at least 15 years. None of the pieces invite you to skip, although there are of course a few hits that stand out in particular: the already mentioned opener with its driving beat is one of them, as is the pop »Everything I want«, which is a worthy successor to the surprise hit »Du muss gar nix« from the previous album. The withdrawn, sad “No one comes out innocent” invites you to save it in the star playlist.
Lyrically, a large part of the songs on “Hello Euphoria” revolve around the entanglement of the individual in overpowering structures and the cultural practice of atonement. However, Spilker takes an extremely critical view of the forms of individual compensation that are so widespread today: buying some organic vegetables here, forgoing the seventh flight of the year there, and as a sign of special awareness, the rolls are now picked up from the bakery in the morning by electric bike.
However, all of this cannot free people from collective responsibility, according to Spilker recently in the podcast “Rebecca räumt auf” – especially since most forms of individual, eco-social indulgences can only be afforded by the better off in society anyway. With all the biting mockery of the current zeitgeist, however, he does not take his own compensation strategies from – and that makes the thing particularly likeable and round in the end. In the lead single “Spilker immer mittendrin” he sings about his blind spots and the little traps of everyday life that one keeps falling into, despite all awareness: Capitalism? “Why not”. environmental destruction? “I’m old, you can’t get me.” Revolution? »It will be alright«.
But Die Sterne are still too humorous, self-deprecating and essentially too political for apathy. Rather, the texts invite you to philosophize and tie your thoughts on the dance floor – so the time of swaying seems to be over. Hooray, the stars are back!
The Stars: »Hello Euphoria« (Pias)
