she's a model and she's looking good

Kraftwerk has got to be the only German band to really leave a mark in modern music's short history. With David Bowie and Afrika Bambataa being two of many artists who admired them, culminating in Bowie's Berlin era albums and Bambataa's Planet Rock. Their approach to music is as german as you like, with intelligence, wit and, dare I say, coldness, seeping through the textures of their music. Trans-Euro Express, which was sampled by Bambataa for Planet Rock is typical Kraftwerk. Electronic sounds mimicking the sound of train, coupled with haunting melody, it is evocative. You can just picture yourself sitting on a train, travelling through Europe in the cold night.



For me though, their most important song is The Model. It is practically the blueprint on which all synth pop, and with it much of 80's pop, was based. With emotional detachment, they delivered a perfect pop tune about a model, whose lifestyle the narrator, despite lusting for her, commented about cynically. Although not the definitive Kraftwerk tune, this song definitely brought them a larger audience.



Like any good band, they also had the appearance to go with their music. Live they stand emotionless on the stage in uniform, perfecting the cold ambience of their music. And on photos they appear almost lifeless, as if they're only human shells for some intergalactic robots who make music.