Tocotronic

Influenced by stateside acts including Nirvana, R.E.M., and Galaxie 500, the Hamburg-formed indie-rock outfit Tocotronic came together in 1993. Drummer Arne Zank and bassist Jan Müller, already musical partners, recruited singer-guitarist Dirk Von Lowtzow to round out the group. The band borrowed its name from the German term for Nintendo’s handheld precursor to the Game Boy, variously known as Tricotronic or Game & Watch. Their first single, “Meine Freundin und Ihr Freund,” appeared in 1994, after which they joined L’Age d’Or Records, a central imprint of the Hamburger Schule scene. The label put out the debut album Digital Ist Besser in 1995. Subsequent releases Nach der Verlorenen Zeit, Wir Kimmen Um Uns Zu Beschweren, and Est Ist Egal, Aber paved the way for the more inward-looking K.O.O.K. in 1999; a remix edition and an English-language counterpart followed in 2000. The self-titled Tocotronic arrived in 2002. By 2005 longtime road collaborator Rick McPhail had become a permanent member on guitar and keyboards, coinciding with the 12-inch Pure Vernuft Darf Niemals Siegen. In 2007 the band left L’Age d’Or for Vertigo Berlin, an imprint distributed by Universal; their inaugural Vertigo effort, Kapitulation, surfaced that summer, and a live document from the accompanying tour emerged in 2008. Schall & Wahn reached listeners in early 2010, marking the group’s first chart-topping album in Germany. Three years later Wie Wir Leben Wollen secured another strong chart placement, while the limited-edition anthology >20< compiled rare studio cuts and live recordings before year’s end.