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In the fall of 1979 the band Der Moderne Mann was founded in Hannover. After the release of the "Umsturz im Kinderzimmer" EP 1979 at Heile Welt Records the band was signed to the legendary NO FUN Records of Hollow Skai. The band's debut album called "80 Tage auf See", appeared in 1980. The reaction to this album was initially unenthusiastic.
"80 Tage auf See" has been repressed now and contains as bonus the ""Umsturz im Kinderzimmer" EP!
Our take: If you enjoyed the reissues from Abwarts and Grauzone last year, get pumped for this reissue of another German post-punk classic. 80 Tage Auf See is Der Moderne Mann’s debut album from 1980. Relying mostly on a typical guitar / bass / drums / vocals setup but with a clear interest in progressive post-punk, 80 Tage Auf See sounds of a piece with much of what was happening in the UK a few years before as post-punk and UKDIY branched off from the original punk movement. The standout opening track, “Der Unbekannte,” reminds me of Warsaw, the pre-Joy Division band, with its classic-sounding main riff that is both melancholy and melodic. Like Warsaw, Der Moderne Mann’s predilection for minimalism makes it seem like they had to strip punk rock down to its bare essentials before they went full post-punk. This reissue adds the tracks from DMM’s Umsturz im Kinderzimmer EP (making it quite a lengthy record), and these tracks incorporate more synths and Devo-influenced mechanistic rhythms, which has me excited to check out their second album, Unmodern. The Rockers label has also just reissued that one, so odds are you’ll see me describe that one next week.