Unser Scharping. Scharping

Scharping is another German sort of alternative rock band with some punkish traits coming through us thanks to Hamburg's Glitterhouse Records. A few decades ago, I always associated the label with Americana label. In recent years I have totally had to rethink this, to conclude that I know so many alternative German bands now through the label's releases.

Scharping is the most recent band in that list. The Berlin based band holds four musicians also active in other bands: Jermain Mikel Herold (Lost Girls), Angelo Fonfara (Nille Promille), Christian Heerdt (Botschaft) und Kevin Kuhn (Die Nerven). Four captains on one ship and for once it seems to work well.

Musically Unser Scharping spreads it wings in all sorts of directions. Although rock is the basis of most songs, no not all, the music on offer certainly stretches the imagination some and then some more. In short, an album full of surprises, twists and turns.

Superficially, Unser Scharping can be qualified under post punkfunk. There are some similarities with a band like Franz Ferdinand, without the exuberance. The weird, almost dissonant riffs and chords are there and the rhythms accompanying them as well. Listen more closely and you'll notice weirder stuff going on. Zappa's rhythmic, band broad soloing e.g., but also his pseudo disco songs. Also, do not be surprised to hear some progrocking musical muscle flexing.

This is only the start, as you will come across alternative rock ballads and even some sort of classically or Medievally sung track that really stands out, without becoming an aberration. Somehow 'Saelic' fits on this album, in all its sobering seriousness with a tongue firmly in cheek.

Over it all, it is also totally evident that the album can only come out of Germany. Yes, they sing in German but that is not all there is to it. There's something about the way of singing in German in combination with this kind of music and the mood coming with it that makes Unser Scharping typically a German album. Don't ask me to specify any further, it's a feel coming with the album. This album simply would have sounded different, had it been made in the English speaking world.

When the second half of the album moves into a more pop-rock oriented sphere, it becomes even more fun than it already is. A track like 'Emily' is sheer fun to listen to. It brings the best Belgium bands of the 1990s to mind in the verses, while Scharping goes into straight competition with Dutch band The Maureens in the chorus, while taking on the whole world in the intro.

With Unter Scharping Scharping successfully explores all the different sides the individual band members hold within them, where the others support these wide-ranging ideas to the best of their abilities. The result? Unter Scharping. Hearing is believing.

Wout de Natris

You can order the LP and cd in the Glitterhouse mail shop:

https://mailorder.glitterhouse.com/suchergebnisse.html