The obligatory Tokio Hotel post
Tokio Hotel is already a controversial band among many Germaniacs simply because of their sheer popularity, boy band branding scheme, and perhaps even their bizarre fashion styles. But that doesn’t discount the fact that they are indeed a German band, so they are worth mentioning here… if for nothing else than to help make our coverage a little more well-rounded.
If you’re not already familiar with Tokio Hotel, this is the 4 piece pop-rock band that has been making headlines all across Germany and Europe, and has even performed a few successful concerts here in the United States already. Now their current album Scream is ready to be released in the USA as well. It will be on the shelves on Tuesday, May the 6th.
Not to be confused with their debut album Schrei (which means “Scream”), this new album has songs selected from Tokio Hotel’s first 2 albums which were both sung in German, and simply translates them into English to make them appeal to a wider audience. This decision is certainly not without debate, however. There’s actually an online petition with thousands of signatures from their fans asking Tokio Hotel to stop singing in English. And while that might be a nice way to preserve some cultural value in the music, it’s not likely to happen. Their label (Universal) is no doubt more interested in reaping the rewards of their new star band, especially in an environment where it is becoming harder and harder to profit from them.
So what does that leave us with? A bunch of teenagers from Germany trying as hard as possible to Americanize themselves so they can sing in front of thousands of screaming girls. Not quite my cup of tea. Hmmm… You can hear them here if you must.
Tokio Hotel - Scream (US edition) tracklisting
01. Scream
02. Ready, Set, Go!
03. Monsoon
04. Love is Dead
05. Don’t Jump
06. Live Every Second (U.S. Exclusive)
07. On the Edge
08. Sacred
09. Break Away
10. Rescue Me
11. Final Day
12. Forgotten Children
13. By Your Side
14. 1000 Oceans (Bonus Song)
15. Durch den Monsun (Bonus Song - German Version from “Schrei” Studio CD)
April 27th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Tokio Hotel is a little bit like John Cena… for years 5-12. With the difference that in fact John Cena does not suck for real
April 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
[…] Hotel - Scream (USA […]
April 28th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I have no idea who that is… but I think I probably don’t want to know either
September 9th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
I like Tokio Hotel. Yes, they are quite popular in Germany and Europe, but they have potential to be popular here in the US, and they’ve shown it by winning the VMA for Best New Artist. And while they may be teenagers (so yes, there will be screaming girls), they sing and play from the heart. They truly want to sing in English so that the lyrics (which they have said are indeed a big part of their message) can be understood by everyone. There’s bound to be people who don’t like them, but keep in mind that there are those who do. We don’t think that they suck and we don’t go around bashing the bands we don’t like (not that I’m saying you guys are bashing, but it happens way too much. So what if Bill looks like a girl?), so please keep in mind that we don’t want our bands bashed.
Thank you,
East Coast Fans, and every Tokio Hotel fan around the world