Search - Sts :: Auf a Wort

Three old Styrians still walking away

Peter Sighartner | Wilhering, Austria, Europe | 03/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I still recall the days of late spring in 1994, when Dominik Burgstaller, a classmate of mine at "Stiftsgymnasium Wilhering" (Austria) asked me whether I had already heard the new release of STS, "Auf a Wort". My interest was rather low, but he kept on singing various songs out of this album for days, and when one day he handed it out to me, I gave it a chance. What is there to say: It was absolutely fantastic and a real eye-opener. After their big 1985 hit "Fürstenfeld" from "Überdosis Gfühl", the albums "Augenblicke" and "Jeder Tag zählt", STS had created a real masterpiece. The main topic of "Auf a Wort": Fascism, KZs, cruelties during World War II (for example "Wo sind all die Menschen", "Und es ist so schön da"-listen to the astonishing string arrangment by Christian Kolonivits-, or "Es fangt genauso an"). Powerful, melodic, heart-refreshing songs against racism and radicalism. Although the band hadn't been that close the years before, the 1994 album "Auf a Wort" shows the dream-team Gerd Steinbäcker, Günter Timischl and Schiffkowitz on top of their great potential as a group. Steinbäcker's songs are - again - very often dealing with his obvious midlife crisis ("Das sind die Tag"). I personally admire his song "Herz muß immer Trumpf bleibn" from the aspect of songwriting, although his lyrics are a bit moralizing. Schiffkowitz shows a very political attitude with his songs "Und es is so schön da", "Wo sind all die Menschen". Timischl has made the title track (to be noticed because of its lyrical minimalism) and the wonderful love-ballad "Was mach i heut nacht ohne di". To cut a long story short: A milestone of Austrian music."