Anders als das aztekische Fabelwesen, nachdem sich die Band benannt hat, stammen die Mitglieder von ahuizotl nicht vom nordamerikanischen Kontinent, auch wenn ihre Musik eindeutig vom US-amerikanischen Indierock der 80er und 90er Jahre geprägt ist. ahuizotl kommen aus Köln und spielen Popmusik im besten Sinne, sind dabei aber weit entfernt von Konsensquark und liebloser Radiodudelei, da sie selbstbewusst auf Ideen und Melodien jenseits gängiger Erfolgsrezepte setzen. Nicht nur die punkige DIY-Attitude, auch die Soundästhetik und der Ursprung als Soloprojekt erwecken Assoziationen zu Bands wie z.B. seBADoh oder Wild Nothing. Die „klassische“ Rockbandbesetzung wird durch ein Keyboard ebenso um einige emotionale Nuancen ergänzt wie durch den gelegentlich gemeinsamen Gesang von Gitarrist und Schlagzeugerin. Die Texte sind meist persönlich, anschaulich bis assoziativ und berühren den, der sie an sich heranlässt, unmittelbar.

Unlike the creature from Aztec mythology, after which the band was named, the members of ahuizotl are not from North America, even if their music is clearly influenced by US-American indie rock of the 80s and 90s. ahuizotl are from Cologne/Germany and play pop music in the best sense of the word. At the same time they’re far away from lifeless muzak and the agreeable nonsense you hear on the radio, because they confidently rely on ideas and melodies beyond the established recipes for success. Not only the DIY attitude of punk but also the sound aesthetics and the band’s origins as a solo project are reminiscent of bands like seBADoh or Wild Nothing. Keyboard and, occasionally, the combined vocals of guitarist and drummer supplement the ‘classic’ rock band line-up. The mostly personal lyrics, sometimes vivid sometimes associative, will affect anyone who is open to them.

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"Gitarren-Indie der 90er macht auch heute noch großen Spaß, wenn die Melodien perlen und die Songs den richtigen Kontrast aus Leichtigkeit und Verschrobenheit besitzen. Ahuizotl aus Köln können das so gut, dass Dinosaur Jr und Buffalo Tom gar nicht mehr so weit entfernt scheinen."
(Intro #198, 12/2011)

"From Yuck to Antiques to Cymbals Eat Guitars, there's been a rash of bands lately reviving the alternative/indie rock sounds of the 1990s to glorious effect. Hell, Guided by Voices is pretending the past 15 years never happened at all. Cologne, Germany’s Ahuizotl, named after a creature of Aztec mythology and who've had a handful of releases since 2004, are perhaps an unlikely addition to the list, but you can put 'em on there anyway. 'Self-Made' is a highlight from their 2011 mini-LP Lice and, like the rest of these songs, has more in common with the sounds of the Pacific Northwest circa 1997 than what their fellow countrymen are churning out. This is one quality jam."
(Pop Headwound, 02/2012, popheadwound.com/2012/02/07/introducing-ahuizotl)

"Few things get us as excited as Dinosaur Jr.-influenced losercore, and so it took only seconds of listening to Ahuizotl's recent Lice EP to know we had struck gold. The Cologne, Germany-based guitar pop quartet certainly wears its '80s and '90s American underground influences on its proverbial sleeves (search the band name on YouTube and you will find fronter Barry Langer covering all the greats, including Palace's 'I Am A Cinematographer' and Pavement's 'Elevate Me Later'). And the same goes for the thrilling seven-song set Ahuitzol self-released last summer. The act - which just last week opened for Wild Flag in Cologne - is named for a creature that ancient Aztecs believed had a hand on its tail, but that's not important right now. What is important is that the foursome's music communicates right at gut-level with big guitars, tastefully restrained synth and earnest vocals. The brilliantly understated 'Slide' rests somewhere on an axis between Yo La Tengo's 'Blue Line Swinger' and The Cure's 'Play For Today'. The strummer 'Work Is Over (If You Want It)' recalls Versus (particularly the chorus 'this is a call to arms / I know you're strong enough to hold me...') and is both buoyant with longing and helplessly tethered by resignation. 'Self-Made' makes it by dropping dense guitar in and out of over top of insistent fuzz bass and strikes a neat crescendo before a guitar solo rendered in liquid mercury. Ahuizotl's Bandcamp also houses two earlier collections fo material that suggest Mr. Langer has been honing his craft for almost a decade, and while there are bright spots in the back catalogue, the energy and focus of Lice is a huge step forward for the band. Have a listen to 'Slide' below and then click over to hear the entire EP, it is dynamite."
(clicky clicky music blog, 02/2012, jbreitling.blogspot.com/2012/02/todays-hotness-ahuizotl-grass-is-green.html)


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Barry Langer - vocals, guitar
Stefan Ebbers - bass
Helen Niemeyer - drums, vocals
Felix Hedderich - keyboard

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