Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Unlocking the keys


Today's little gem of information comes by way of Pitchfork. Logging on to get the day's info I got two pleasant surprises:

1) The Black Keys are releasing a new album in September (on Nonesuch - the NPR label).
2) They will be the opening act for several East coast Radiohead shows (including the one I'm seeing at MSG. Apparently I'm the last one to know this, but am excited nonetheless.)

For those not familiar with the Keys, they are a duo from Akron, Ohiiiiizoooo (LKG - shout out!) that sound unlike most music acts today. Their routes stem from heavy blues influences, but integrating much more guitar and scratchy vocals. Funnily enough, the Keys sound like they've been around the block several times, but in reality they're just two skinny dudes from Ohio.

Their previous two albums "Rubber Factory" and "The Big Come Up" have been staples in my collection for quite a while now. The songs range from slow and calculated to quick and uppity tracks that you can dance to.

Check out some of their music at myspace here.
Band website here.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Memorial Day Round-Up

Hi friends -


so after several days sans a post I am throwing together a mishmash of thoughts on different artists/pieces of information I picked up:

1) This weekend, the NY Times featured an article about possibly the coolest archive I have heard of: Michael Ochs, a former music PR/agent, has a collection of thousands of photographs of rock n' roll musicians. Compiled over the past 30 years, he's got everyone fro
m Gladys Knight at 8 years old to ZZ Top with no beards.

Ochs makes money by licensing these images out - recent ones appear in Gap ads and on CD cases everywhere - but he is pretty adamant that he does it just for the joy of having the archive. I'd like to petition him to making it open to the public one day - although that would p
robably be the complete demise of my productivity.

Check out the article
here.

2) In case you haven't heard, French indie group Phoenix has officially burst onto the scene with their second album (technically third if you don't count their live album, which I don't). Their soft,
easy listening pop songs are getting lots of praise from critics and fans alike, and rightfully so as they have a nice blend of pop rock beats, piano melodies, folky guitar influence and easy to sing-along-to lyrics. I hear everyone from Ani DiFranco and Edie Brickell (what's up 90s!?!) to the Violent Femmes and even a little Canadian influences with The Arcade Fire... (I might be pulling this out of nowhere, but I swear these guys have little riffs that come from everywhere)

The first single "Long Distance Call" is on its way to radio play and has a lot of mainstream potential. I'm always a little wary of any indie band that gets this much play on MTV right off the bat - but I think this French foursome has some good potential, and at the very least will appeal to a wide range of music listeners.

Phoenix homepage
here.
Myspace page
here.

3) For those looking for a band that's a little rougher around the edges check out Hope of the States. These guys are from the U.K. and definitely straddle the bridge between Radiohead and some heavy metal.

Hope of the States homepage
here.

I'm back on track for regular posts... More to come!



Thursday, May 25, 2006

Maintenance

Yo, blogger is sucking today and keeps freezing/not updating my posts, so stay tuned for a more comprehensive one later today.

Just on one quick note though, I did want to make a correction that my pops pointed out last night: apparently Volkswagens are from Germany, not Sweeden (see post: Sveeeden). Riiiight... Well, I never said I knew cars!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Sveeeden

I love Sweden for various reasons:

1) Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam
2) The Hives - the best live band on the planet
3) The Swedish Chef on the muppets
4) Volvos and Volkswagens

Now I have another reason: The Ark.


This quintet that hails from Malmo, Sweden are all about bringing back glam rock. With a touch of ABBA, a dash of Queen, and a helping of Leonard Cohen they completely differentiate themselves from the guitar-heavy indie bands on the circuit now. What's more, lead singer Ola Salo is the kind of frontman that demands your attention. Regularly donning hot pants, he could easily share outfits with Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters, but lucky for Ola, he doesn't have to share the stage with Ms. Ana Matronic. He has it all to his own, and in a recent Time Out New York interview he made it know that he is out there to be a stage presence:

It's your duty as an artist to get up there and bloody perform! Taking people's time without filling it with something is the one and only crime a performer can commit. People who turn their eyes toward me deserve to see something out of this world. You want them to experience something biblical, something grandiose. Being a diva isn't only for your own good as an artist, it's for the good of humanity.

And really, who can argue with that? An amazing performance at the Bowery = drunk and happy New Yorkers = world peace. Obviously.

Speaking of, they are playing Bowery Ballroom on June 28th.

The Ark released their third album, "State of the Ark," on April 11. Buy it here.
Check out their myspace page here.
Band website here.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Back to the Future


I finally got around to listening to some of the tracks off the soon-to-be-released album from U.K. rock-pop band The Futureheads.

I'm going to go out on a limb to say that The Futureheads might've staved off the sophomore slump. The first single "Skip to the End" off the new album - News and Tributes - starts off like "Garage" and "A to B" off The Futureheads (their self-titled debut album) but then comes together like a lot of their first songs never did. Plus, the lyrics make you kind of smile, because honestly, aren't there plenty of crappy situations in life during which you'd much rather "skip to the end?"

"Area" - the second single off the album - sticks it's landing with a solid blend of guitars, harmonizing backup and perky beats to get your head bopping. It actually was able to push out of my head "Cash Machine" by Hard-fi, which in and of itself was a miracle (bad idea to listen to that as I was getting ready this morning. In my head through several meetings this morning...).

The Futureheads will be at Webster Hall on June 30, and have a slew of tour dates this summer. They are a great live show, and I'm even thinking about trying to double-book an early TV on the Radio that night with The Futureheads later that evening... Yeah, right...

Oh, and their album "News and Tributes" is out June 13 stateside. Pre-order it here.
Futureheads website here.
Myspace here.

Grrrrl Power


A quick morning post as I was a slacker yesterday...

In reading through my papers this weekend I flipped to Playlist - a weekly column in the arts section of CD reviews - and got a special treat: Carrie Brownstein, lead singer/guitarist for indie rock band Sleater-Kinney, had written this week's column.

Sleater-Kinney, a three person all-chick group from Oregon, has been on the scene since the late 90's. Their sound has evolved a lot over the past 10 years but miraculously has not succumbed to the pressure of making more mainstream music (they are funded by indie label Sub Pop, which it seems has a pretty good record of not having a slew of freakish Tommy Mottola-esque "I will make you into a huuuuuuuge star" agents/producers).

Their last album, The Woods, came out last May to great reviews, and now the girls are becoming major stars (they were one of the headliners of last month's Coachella festival).

Brownstein writes in hilariously disjointed prose, but the eye into her personal life and CD choices is worth the read. My favorite review:


Paul Butterfield
I am kind of a hypochondriac, and therefore the Merck Manual is the book I have read more times than any other. Because of this, friends call with symptoms, and I tell them what they have: bursitis, rat bite fever, phantom limb pain. There is a strange feeling that I get when I think something might be really wrong, but then it turns out to be nothing, like maybe it's really just sinusitis. That feeling is harmony and anxiety melting into one, a mellifluous chainsaw. Paul Butterfield gives me this feeling too. "Put It in Your Ear" (Bearsville) is supposedly his attempt at creating a new sound. It's hard to hear albums when you know the reaction was conflicted, but it's more the listener's duty to go back and think about why he did this or why it would be difficult for people to comprehend. I didn't hear any of those problems with it.

Sleater-Kinney is performing at Webster Hall on August 2nd, they'll also be in DC, Chicago and Philly this summer.

Check out their official website here.
Myspace page here.
Full article in the Times here.



Monday, May 22, 2006

Muskrat Love


So, in nursing my hangover from the weekend I came across the band Nightmares on Wax. They have that perfect background music that is thick with slow beats, light lyrics, and easy melodies. I kind of envision that in the year 2030 this is what we'll hear in elevators, until then, you'll probably only hear it in the background at some hipper-than-thou lounge with $15 drinks.

In Space Outta Sound is their fifth album - just came out in March. These guys hail from the U.K. (natch) and I don't think have had much fanfare here (no tour dates scheduled and little if any reviews in the major magazines) , but Entertainment Weekly called them "The Barry White of electronica," which I think is rather apt.

Myspace page is here - I recommend it for anyone who is struggling through today as much as I am.

Side note - for all others looking for a good stream of music all day long, I recommend the BBC sites, which you can stream over the web. Some choices are a little punkier than what would play on the radio here (not too surprising) but you'll also be the first to hear bands like Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand before they hit big on our side of the pond. **I like BBC 6.**

BBC radio.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Hot potatoes

Dying to get out of the office so just a quick post before I leave.

Below are some albums coming up this summer to look out for:

  • Frank Black, Fastman Raiderman, 6/20 - Frontman for the Pixies releases another solo album. After seeing them perform at ACL 2004 I am all for Mr. Black, and look forward to seeing what crazy sh*t he pulls together this time.
  • Thom York, The Eraser, 7/11 - Apparently it is the summer of the solo album. I'll look out to see if Thom plays any of this material while Radiohead tour this summer and report back.
  • Sufjan Stevens, The Avalanche, 7/11 - Yeah, apparently this disk has 21 tracks. Intense.
  • TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain, 8/1 - Apparently David Bowie does backup on this cd - amazing.
  • Mars Volta, Still Untitled, 8/15 - Third album, rumored to have lots of Red Hot Chili Peppers influence.

Enjoy the weekend people! I for one will be subjecting my good friend Lynne to 6 hours + of recently purchased music on a road trip to a fabulous wedding. The ride up: Hard-Fi, TV on the Radio, We Are Scientists, Goldfrapp, Bloc Party. The way back: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Stars, Jenny Lewis and anything that will cure a hangover.

and Stripes


Band of the day today is Stars, an indie group from Canada who recently released their third album, Set Yourself on Fire.

These guys are somewhat the epitome of indie rock, and you kind of have to love them for it. On their website they describe the anguish and self-discovery they went through to make this album in the kind of introspective, sometimes ridiculous, othertimes touching prose that you might hear at a poetry reading in the East Village.

A taste of the several hundred word essay that recounts the trials and tribulations of living Set Yourself on Fire:

"While the snow fell outside, Stars nestled in their cocoon, drank rivers of booze, smoked things they shouldn't, had bloody arguments, slid down icy hills on the bellies of their snowsuits, kissed and made up and nearly went insane. They steeped themselves in Sam Cooke and the Super Furry Animals, hash cakes and champagne, DuMaurier Lights and library books, the Apostles of Hustle and skating. Serious emo shit went down. "

Set Yourself on Fire is much sexier and certainly darker than their last albums. Amy Millan - lead singer - has the ability to bring deep sincerity through her soft voice, much like Jenny Lewis does on Rabbit Fur Coat. The result are songs that make you stop and catch your breath, if only for a moment. But before I start spouting prose like Stars did on their website, suffice it to say that their first song on the album, "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" gave me pause, and took me on a little trip down memory lane.

The influences come from all over - certainly Broken Social Scene (friends & sometimes bandmates of Stars), I also hear Death Cab in there, and Bright Eyes. What's perhaps most admirable about them though, is the way they just throw themselves into their music.

FYI, they are playing at the Siren Festival on Coney Island this summer (7/15) as well as Austin City Limits.

For their homepage, click here. For myspace, click here.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Tragedy strikes



I'm somewhat devastated to learn that Bloc Party - one of my very favorite bands (no matter how much people call them played out) - is playing with The Secret Machines in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on July 29.

Why is this a tragedy? Well, because I won't be in New York, of course.

But anyone who is here should GO! Bloc Party is phenomenal live - I saw them here in the city at Webster Hall and at Coachella and both times they totally rocked my world. Above is a picture I took of the lead singer of Bloc Party - Kele Okereke - on a gorgeous day at Coachella. You can just tell that he gets visibly moved by his songs (as he rightly should).

FYI - I also love the drummer - Matt Tong - as he is smiling pretty much the whole time they play.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 12pm and will likely sell out pretty quickly. Buy people buy! (click here for tickets)

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Scorsese quality



Quick alert for NY'ers - The Film School, a group of 5 from San Francisco, is going to be at Mercury Lounge on Tuesday, May 23 (next week).

These guys are really local and self-produced, which makes me even more eager to give them praise for their first album. The songs take a page from Sigur Ros, but take it up a notch where Sigur can leave you wanting more. There are definitely influences of The Cure and Morrissey in there - emulating that oh-so-lovable British sense of lament. (See: Depeche Mode)

I'm eager to see them if only to check out their eye makeup...

Sample their music on myspace here (Sick of Shame is soft but poignant). FYI, they are actually doing a really cool project where they create a new poster for each U.S. they visit. Check out some of the examples here.

Speaking of upcoming shows at the Mercury, Forward, Russia! is playing there on June 14. These guys were recently featured on the front page of NME.com and have quite a bit of momentum behind them no pun intended. Ha. (Side note: I'm guessing their name is a reference to the literature and art of Russia at the turn of the 20th century just before their revolution. Everything from Kandinsky to Russian books like "Time, Forward" were all about bucking the government.)

The foursome is from Leeds, U.K. and has toured with both The Bravery and Art Brut. Apparently lead singer Katie is mesmerizing live, and can wail with the best of them. They've got a great range. "Sixteen" has a slow build, starting with minimal guitar and lulling vocals that eventually pick up speed to blow you out by the end. Meanwhile, "Seven" is fast the whole way through, even picking up speed at the chorus - sure to get you up and dancing.

Check out their music here, and purchase tickets for their appearance at Mercury here.

Queens


Yay! The Kings of Leon are recording a new album and going to tour again this summer and fall.

They are starting in Australia this summer and officially in the Austin City Limits lineup (check that out here).

The lead singer, Caleb Followill - who weighs less than I do - truly uses his voice as an instrument. (Side note - it reminds me of how Karen O. can go from sweet 'la la las' to screaming freakout in the Yeah Yeah Yeah's song "Art Star.") For the KOL, their stuff has such a great blend of rocky-twang (or twangy-rock) that it's impossible not to try to sing along to their songs, despite the fact that you just can't replicate Caleb's vocal sounds.

Sadly no singles up yet on their website or myspace, but you can hear some of Aha Shake Heartbreak, their last album, here.

As for ACL, the jury's still out for me on that lineup. Sure, it's unlikely that you would see such names as Willie Nelson and Van Morrison at the same grounds as The Secret Machines and Matisyahu ever again, but is it worth trekking to Texas for?

Ooh la la



Probably the travesty of this week is that I missed the Goldfrapp show at Irving Plaza.

Allison Goldfrapp, lead singer of the duo hailing from England, is on top of her game with the release of their third album, Supernature. Channeling the fabulousness of Marilyn Monroe, the stage presence of Debbie Harry, and the sultriness of a Film Noir femme fatale, Goldfrapp certainly knows how to hold on to listeners.

The songs are bass heavy dance pieces that take you everywhere from "high in the sky" to the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Listen to "Oh La La" and "Fly Me Away" here.

Music for Robots is reporting that the show was the kind that heats up an audience collectively - and in a venue like Irving people were mesmerized the whole time.

I know Goldfrapp is opening up for Depeche Mode for at least part of their tour this summer...

Apples and...



Discovered The Oranges Band today from Baltimore, Maryland.

They are a group of 4 guys with a lot of guitars - thank you garage rock. Funnily enough they say on their website that their major influences include Tom Petty, The Beatles and Paul Simon, but they come off as much more Strokes-y than any of the above (and really, who isn't influenced by The Beatles?).

Their myspace page has clips from four of their songs - which are fairly uppity and easy to bop along to. Plenty of guitar riffs and easy lyrics - but I wouldn't say vocals are their #1 attribute. Likely their live performances are pretty good - and since they're from Baltimore all those who live in DC area (that's you Fergs) should look out for their shows.

Check out their song White Ride here to get a good idea of what they're playing.

Speaking of good guitar riffs, Razorlight is putting out their second album, In the Morning, this summer.

The clips of the first single of the same names are available on their website and on their myspace page.

For those not familiar with Razorlight, they were touted as one of the biggest bands of '04-'05 with the release of their first album Up All Night. Critics called them the next Libertines and thought they were going to be enormous. While they did sell upwards of a million albums, their fame stayed mostly in the U.K., and they remain somewhat unkown still here in the U.S.

I'm not 100% sure why this happened, especially since the song "Golden Touch" off Up All Night has the same universal appeal as most big pop hits. It's extremely melodic, well written, catchy and transcends the garage rock genre-of-the-moment to become a single that should have mainstay for years.

Some of the problem probably lies in the fact that Razorlight's U.S. tour last fall got cut short when lead singer Johnny Borrell fell ill. Not to mention, when I saw them at the Bowery they were extremely disjointed. Some songs they hit right on the mark (like Rock n' Roll Lies), while on others they seemed like 4 random people up on stage - not a band (this is especially true for Stumble and Fall, during which Johnny lost his place and stopped the song in the middle).

Not going to lie - after I saw them I thought Johnny might be headed the way of blood-spurting syringe-loving Pete Doherty (side note - Don't Go Back to Dalston on Up All Night I've heard was written for Doherty - as the two are/were good friends).

But! Razorlight seems to be on the right path and everyone is eagerly anticipating In the Morning. Johnny himself is talking it up quite a bit in NME - and you can read a portion of the hilariously arrogant interview here.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Anticipation

Okay NY'ers, so here's a quick lineup of some of the bands that will be in the city this month. For more details on any show go to ohmyrockness, as they are all diff venues/ticket distributors.

PS - I likely omitted some shows that were sold out, like the Radiohead shows June 13 and 14, which I have tickets to. Suckers! (Ha, just kidding, I wish upon all of you endless tickets to sold out shows this summer)

5/21 - The National @ Webster Hall, Indie/Rock/Punk-light
5/22 - Gnarls Barkely @ Webster, Gnarls is part of the "treat" genre (sold out but tix for flipping $70 on craigslist. One day I will go on a rampage about scalpers... JERKS)
5/22 - Frog Eyes @ Mercury, quirky Canadians
5/24 - The Walkmen @ Webster, Indie suit wearing rockers
5/25 - Say Hi To Your Mom @ Mercury, blah blah Indie blah blah
6/2 - Super Furry Animals @ South Street Seaport (FREE!)
6/4 - Tapes n' Tapes @ Bowery, great band from Minnesota of the same cut as Shins/Death Cab but I think better - or at least more original (sold out, but not obscene on craigs, and plus they are coming back later in the summer)
6/9 and 10 - Cat Power @ Town Hall
6/10 - Mr. Brownstone @ Bowery (yay hair bands!)
6/11 - !!! (chik chik chik) @ Northsix, these guys are kind of rough around the edges but apparently a really fun live show.
6/18 - Band of Horses @ Warsaw (don't think this is sold out yet, so get on it!)
6/27 - The Streets @ Webster Hall, awesome British rapper (just one guy, despite plural name), not sure if these are sold out or just not up on ticketweb... UPDATE: they are sold out, but up on craigslist.
6/29 and 30 - We are Scientists @ Warsaw and Irving (respectively)
6/30 - The Futureheads @ Webster, I saw these guys last year in the same venue and they were great. Lots of energy. Scottish though so I couldn't understand a f*cking word they said while not singing.
6/30 - The Walkmen @ Warsaw
6/30 - TV on the Radio @ Prospect Park (FREE!)
7/6 - Mates of State @ Castle Clinton (FREE!), I love this band. Just two people (I think they are dating), lots of synthy sounds but really great lyrics.
7/15 - Village Voice Siren Festival @ Coney Island featuring Tapes N' Tapes, Art Brut and She Wants Revenge
8/3 - New Pornographers @ Summerstage

I'll try to update this as frequently as possible, and throw in any other recommendations that come to pass. Let me know if I missed anyone!

Say no to drugs...

Pete Doherty (of Babyshambles and formerly The Libertines) is one crazy, cracked out mother f*cker.

From NME.com today:

Pete Doherty shocked MTV News TV crews during a recent backstage interview when he squirted a syringe of his own blood at a news camera.

The Babyshambles singer initially refused to speak to reporters before he joined bandmates Drew McConnell and Adam Ficek midway through the interview in Berlin last week.

Doherty then took the syringe out and shot his own blood on the camera lens from a few yards away and shouted: "That was a wicked shot. That's going to make a cracking link that is."

Sweet. That totally makes me want to buy your album, dude.

Science Times



Tomorrow is a big day for We Are Scientists here in NYC. I've been loving these guys lately - they remind me a lot of the post-punk-rock-blah-etc over-hyped yet still highly enjoyable bands from last summer i.e. Futureheads (who, btw, have a show coming up soon), Kaiser Chiefs. The difference is that their composition is less frantic, but without losing any of the edge.

Anyways - they're doing a free concert at 10am at Gigantic Studios (enjoy, all those that are unemployed and freelancers), and also rumored to be playing to a sold out crowd at the Knitting Factory in conjunction with Art Brut. Those tickets are marked up on craigslist...

You can listen to WAS at their myspace page here. I personally dig Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt.

As mentioned yesterday they're also opening for the Arctic Monkeys at Roseland in June, BUT! you can see them solo at Warsaw** and Irving Plaza on June 29 and 30, respectively.

**By the by, Warsaw that week hosts WAS on Thursday and The Walkmen on Friday. You really can't beat a concert venue at which you can also purchase perogies and/or knishs.**

Monday, May 15, 2006

Festival-tastic

Great section in the NY Times this past weekend all about the festivals here in NY and beyond for music this summer. Ranged from indie to jazz to classical and pop.

A link to the indie section is here.

Some highlights:
  • TV on the Radio playing June 30th in Brooklyn, AND it's FREE! (well, almost - $3).
  • Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is apparently playing every venue and at every festival this summer - plus, if you didn't already know the drummer for CYHSY is also the lead singer in the Guns N' Roses cover band, Mr. Brownstone, who are playing at the Bowery on June 10th. Sadly, I'm tied up that evening with transvestite strippers courtesy of my friend's bachelorette party, but if you don't have that same situation I would suggest hitting this puppy up.
  • The Black Crowes are playing Jones Beach with Robert Randolph and Drive By Truckers. I don't know much about Randolph, but my friend Jenn has assured me that he's top notch. And if it's on a weekend then Jones Beach is a fun venue (weekdays is a b*tch to shlep out there).

By the by, I just checked and tickets to see Arctic Monkeys with We Are Scientists at Roseland are going for $65 a pop. This is significantly better than what they were originally going for when AM played at the Bowery (which was upwards of $200. WTF?).

Gremlins

So on Saturday night I went to check out Mogwai at Webster Hall. Mogwai has been around since 1995, but has been seeing some more popularity lately - perhaps due to the resurgence of post-punk rock (thank you - Pixies - for doing a reuniting tour last year). Their music has a ton of lo(oooooo)ng guitar instrumentals - and not a ton of vocals. Interestingly though, their recorded material doesn't really give you a sense of what they're going to be like live.

Observations from the show include:

  • This band plays to their audience like a bell curve: one second they are really mellow and the next you've got some major Tool-esque crescendo. Certainly keeps people awake, and you know, variety is the spice of life.
  • The bald guitar player is probably the most recognizable of the group, but the keyboard player (who doubles as a guitar player for the big numbers) is the man behind the music. He was rockin' the PC during the concert, but I think he might've just been playing Halo.
  • The light show/dry ice steam were truly top notch additions to the show - not sure if that was the band manager's decision, but if so, A+ buddy!

I took some images and video at the event, but since I'm functionally r*tarded I can't get them to work. Yeah, I'm so f*cking sweet. Hopefully I'll get them working soon... Stay tuned.

PS - I just learned that they actually remixed the version of "Plans" on Bloc Party's album, Silent Alarms. Treat!

Inaugural Post

First things first:

If you live in New York, this site is a must: http://www.ohmyrockness.com

It's the best place to scan a calendar of all the shows happening on any one night.

Secondly, if you haven't already checked out Gnarls Barkley then there's no better time than now.

At Coachella a couple of weeks ago I was loving the "Gnarls Barkley is Crazy" posters that lined the road leading to the parking lot, and since there were about 60,000 people going to the same place we obviously sat on that road for about 2 hours. And they were funny the whole time.

Thirdly, I just caught some of Lilys on Pandora and they are pretty good. Kind of like The Walkmen, but a little more upbeat. Admittedly not as clean a sound, but good potential...

Monday, May 01, 2006

Maintenance

Yo, apparently the blogger server is sucking today and keeps failing so stay tuned for a big post later.

BUT! Wanted to put a quick CORRECTION here now - my loving father pointed out to me last night that Volkswagens are not Sweedish (see post: Sveeden), they are German. Look, I never said I knew cars... ;)