What kind of band name is RONG KONG KOMA?
Sounds like King Kong and an old grandma.
Only a band from Berlin could call themselves that.
Indeed, a band from Neuendettelsau would never name themselves like that.
This is the second album of the band, which this time invited a lady to the studio, namely Apokalypse Vega from Acht Eimer Hühnerherzen. With her slightly screechy, nagging voice, she fits well with Acht Eimer Hühnerherzen, but with Rong Kong Koma, it sounds like too much effort and too little skill. The voice is too loud and too shrill for my taste.
The songs sung by Sebastian Kiefer, on the other hand, are vocally perfect. Not too loud and not too quiet, not too soft and not too rough.
The ten songs of the Berliners are lyrically somewhere between Element of Crime, Pascow, and Love A. Sometimes cryptic, sometimes just a string of lines, and yet everything makes sense. Much more so, the lyrics are profound, contemplative, sad, longing, and deeply realistic.
Musically, the Berliners move in the realm of punk rock and rock. However, they are far from the calm of Element of Crime or AnnenMayKantereit. There are also some quieter songs like the great “Laut und Leer,” but overall, the band is significantly louder than the two mentioned references.
Rong Kong Koma have found a very own musical style with this album that perfectly fits the songs and is entirely unique. A rare solitaire.
The really beautiful thing is that the band does not scream their lyrics out and does not weep into the microphone, but truly sings. Even where a scream might fit while listening, as heard similarly with Love A or Pascow, the band remains calm, and the singing becomes a bit stronger but far from emotionally overwhelming screaming. That’s exactly what makes this record really good.
Longing, sadness, provocation wrapped in fitting punk rock attire. An album that surprised me more than I expected. It blew me away!
RONG KONG KOMA have done everything right on “Dolphins of the Meadow.”
The album is available only digitally or as vinyl in turquoise.
