Tooth Of A Lion - Echolot EP (Grübeldub Records)

The title of the EP, which translates to “echolocation” - a method bats use to determine their location - takes on a symbolic meaning with Tooth Of A Lion. The three tracks on the EP, ranging stylistically from roots over rocksteady to a dubby stepper, all revolve around the question: “What impact does my behaviour have on the world?”.

The rootsy opener “Leische Menschen” (“silent people”) is a tribute to the silent masses, whom Tooth Of A Lion describes as: “…those people who you don’t notice in everyday life. Who are inconspicuous in their appearance and thoughtful in their statements. It’s about people who carry and endure the contradictions of existence within themselves without having to push themselves to the foreground.”.

With the rocksteady-flavoured ‘Asylum’, the band questions its own position as a white reggae band:

Ich hab den Kummer noch nie gesehn (“I’ve never seen the grief before”)
Ich bin nur aufgewacht (“I’ve only just woken up”)
Reggae sampler, nice price
Tosh, Toots, Dennis Brown
Inner Circle, Jimmy Cliff
Reggae gut, reggae schön

I keep asking for asylum
In a foreign land
Reggae music is die Heilung (“Reggae music is the healing”)
Reggae music, reggae Band
Stehe Schlange für ein Visum (“Standing in line for a visa”)
Steh da stundenlang (“Hours on end”)
Weil ich weiß, dass ich in diesem (“Because I know”)
Universum nicht für immer bleiben kann (“I can’t stay in this universe forever”)

Tooth Of A Lion concludes with the dubby ‘Blauer Balloon’ (“blue balloon”), an eco-anthem questioning human impact on our planet.

Until further notice, we remain fans of Tooth Of A Lion’s poetic reggae!