After the controlled crescendos of post-rock and the shoegaze revival, and the return to synth-based alternative pop, it was only a matter of time before guitars came back into fashion. Of course, things are always a little different in Germany from here in the UK. Cast your eye over any German festival lineup and it will be immediately apparent just how much the Germans like their rock. This may explain Beatsteaks, signed to a major in Germany and with four albums under their belts (their previous effort went Platinum in their homeland), yet largely unheard of on these shores. Perhaps that may be set to change with the release of their latest, 'Limbo Messiah.'
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'Mary Becomes Insane' is the first single from it. Ragged, old-school US punk with a certain something that betrays Beatsteaks' German origins is perhaps the most fitting description. That isn't to say it's exactly fizzing with rage, or that despite the gnarly vocals, singer Arnim Teutoburg-Weiss can't hold a melody or deliver a punchy chorus. Catchy enough to be memorable but with enough grit to be ballsy, it's definitely at the better end of the punky power-pop spectrum.
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