ZSK have done it again.
The Berliners are releasing a new album titled “Feuer & Papier,” which has the same architecture as the last album. “Hass Liebe” named two extremely strong feelings that, while opposite, are similar in intensity. Now, the opposite of fire is not paper, but fire loves to consume paper. Paper is completely destroyed by fire. Whether it's notes, lyrics, or song texts, the fire doesn’t care. As long as it can keep burning. This can be understood as a metaphor for friendship and solidarity. ZSK expresses it in the title track as follows:
We keep going and never stop.
We are fire and paper,
shining so bright as if we are exploding
ZSK wants to keep this fire burning. The fire that burns within us and doesn’t let us stand still. It is the fire that provokes actions. But it is also the fire within us when we feel love. When we are with friends and behave as if we were 20 again. The fire that simply means life.
Even if today everyone has a house with a garden and the best job in the world. So, the people who are now in their early to mid-40s. These people tend to start questioning the meaning of life when the kids are out of the woods. Folks, the best thing to do is to go to a ZSK concert. There are even special shows for the younger generation. Let yourselves be inspired by the fire and keep the flame high.
ZSK offers hope with this album.
The main themes of the eleven songs are friendship, solidarity, and doing the right thing with the knowledge that it is the right thing to do. It’s not just about doing the right thing, but also about doing what is important. A clear stance against fascism, racism, exclusion, and the societal coldness that is spreading everywhere. We can do something about it, each and every one of us, and here we are back at the fire. Let’s warm ourselves by the fire in this cold time.
With “Vielen Dank,” the band gives us feedback. Not just to us writers, but to everyone who has expressed their thoughts on their music and positions. It comes with a charming middle finger, but who knows, maybe they will take some feedback to the next rehearsal. A song that is not new in theme, but is fun and also shows what a band like ZSK has to endure, as so many people feel compelled to express their opinions. This is, of course, not a ZSK phenomenon and is somewhat a luxury problem, yet it is true that we humans are not emotionless and must process everything we take in.
“Feuer & Papier” is an album that gives strength and releases energy. When listening and especially live. There are quite a few things that this album does not offer and therefore, in my view, it is not necessarily comparable to “Hass Liebe” or even “Herz für die Sache” or “Hallo Hoffnung.”
Nevertheless, “Feuer & Papier” is a powerful, important album.
A current interview with ZSK can be read at ramtatta.de under the following link:
https://www.ramtatta.de/s/interviews/f/details/id/10757/
