Tocotronic

Tocotronic is a German^Germany rock^{rock music} band^{musical band} founded in 1993 (see 1993 in music). Similar to Blumfeld or Die Sterne they are considered a part of the Hamburger Schule (School of Hamburg) movement. They are influential for bands such as Tomte^{Tomte (band)} or Wir sind Helden.

Tocotronic got signed to L' Age D' Or, a German independent record label situated in Hamburg, in 1994 after quickly gaining popularity in the local scene. Their early style consists of ironic sloganeering ("I want to be part of a youth movement") and almost diary-like songwriting, paired with a lo-fi punkrock sound. In 1995 they released their debut-album "Digital ist besser" (Digital is better). Their third album, released in 1996, was the first to hit the German charts. The music got more complex over time, their lyrics less direct, resulting in a sound that was compared to that of "Pavement^{Pavement (band)}" on Tocotronic's 1999 album "K.O.O.K". The self-titled "White Album", released in 2002, features dreamlike songs; metaphoric, heavily produced, highly polished, it completes a slow but steady course away from their early works ("eins zu eins ist jetzt vorbei" - "one-to-one is over now").

Despite never being overly commercially successful, Tocotronic have a steady fanbase in Germany and their records are regularly reviewed in mainstream newspapers and music magazines alike.

In July 2007, Tocotronic released their eighth studio album, "Kapitulation". Also, around this time, the band announced the end of their working relationship with long-time label "L'age D'or", and consequently, "Kapitulation" was released by Vertigo Berlin, a sublabel of Universal music. Their ninth and most recent studio album, "Schall & Wahn", was released in January 2010.

The current band members and positions are Jan Müller (bass^{Bass guitar}), Arne Zank (drums^{Drum kit}), Dirk von Lowtzow (rhythm guitar, vocals^Singing), and, since 2004, Rick McPhail (lead guitar, keyboard^{Electronic keyboard}).

Studio albums

* 1995: Digital ist besser ("Digital Is Better")
* 1995: Nach der verlorenen Zeit ("After All the Time We Lost")
* 1996: Wir kommen um uns zu beschweren ("We're Here to File a Complaint")
* 1997: Es ist egal, aber ("Nevermind, But")
* 1999: K.O.O.K.
* 1999: K.O.O.K. (English Version)
* 2002: Tocotronic
* 2005: Pure Vernunft darf niemals siegen ("Pure Reason Shall Not Prevail")
* 2007: Kapitulation ("Surrender")
* 2010: Schall & Wahn ("The Sound and the Fury" – release date: January 22) (GER: #1)

Best Of, Live, Remixes

* 1998: Live in Roskilde^{Roskilde Festival} (limited edition of 2222 CDs, mailorder only)
* 1998: The Hamburg Years (export only)
* 1998: Tocotronic - Tocotronics (VHS/PAL)
* 2000: K.O.O.K. - Variationen (remixes done by a number of artists)
* 2004: Tocotronic – 10th Anniversary (CD/DVD)
* 2005: The Best of Tocotronic (CD/double-CD)
* 2008: Kapitulation Live

Singles and EPs

* 1994: Meine Freundin und ihr Freund (7"; My girlfriend and her boyfriend)
* 1995: Freiburg (live, 7")
* 1995: Ich möchte Teil einer Jugendbewegung sein (12"; I want to be part of a youth movement)
* 1995: You are quite cool (7")
* 1996: Die Welt kann mich nicht mehr verstehen (12"/CD; The world can't understand me anymore)
* 1996: Split with Chokebore (7")
* 1996: Split with Christoph de Babalon (7")
* 1997: Dieses Jahr (12"/CD; This year)
* 1997: Sie wollen uns erzählen (12"/CD; They want to tell us)
* 1997: Themenabend (Live In Dresden, 7", limited edition: 500 pieces Red Vinyl; Theme evening)
* 1998: Split with ***^{*** (band)} (7")
* 1999: Jackpot (12"/CD)
* 1999: Let There Be Rock (12"/CD)
* 1999: Live auf dem Petersberg (7", limited edition: 1000 pieces - 500 Clear / 500 Black Vinyl; Live on Petersberg)
* 2000: Freiburg V 3.0 (12"/CD)
* 2000: Variationen I + II (2 EPs^{Extended Play}; Variations)
* 2002: Hi Freaks I + II (2×12"/CD)
* 2002: This Boy Is Tocotronic (12"/CD)
* 2005: Aber hier leben, nein danke (12"/CD; But live here, no, thanks)
* 2005: Gegen den Strich (12"/CD); Against the grain)
* 2005: Pure Vernunft darf niemals siegen Remixes (12"/CD on Kompakt Records^Kompakt; Pure reason must never prevail)
* 2007: Imitationen (12"/CD; Imitations)
* 2007: Kapitulation (12"/CD; Surrender)
* 2007: Sag alles ab (7", limited edition: 1.500 pieces, handnumbered; Call off everything)
* 2010: Macht es nicht selbst (7"; Don't do it yourselves)