The Notwist

[edison]

At last, here's that english version of an article for the German magazine Spex that I promised a few of you:
Original German link
Disclaimer 1: Thanks to alex for her help with the rough translation, which in its even rougher state made a very convincing case for the fact that no one should ever translate from their fourth language into their second language. I have to say the original text is not very well written at all anyway - you'll likely believe that some of the comments he makes are so dumb that they probably result from a bad translation, but it's not the case!

Disclaimer 2: I didn't translate the first two paragraphs, which explain that one day he got email from City Slang asking if he wanted to come and have a listen to the new Notwist album, just back from mastering at Abbey Road. So this is not a review, but basically comments written after a listen in an office of the record company in Berlin.

"Good Lies" begins impressively - there are few effects, but lots of acoustic guitar. This opening song lasts just under 5'30, and during the second third occurs what I described in my notebook as an "interesting break": the drums sound a lot more muted, and the hi-hats are clearly foregrounded. Were two different drum kits played simultaneously to achieve this effect? It turns out that the Notwist have already introduced excerpts of the second song of the album, "Where In This World" to the Internet, in the making-of videos they have recently uploaded to their site. I wrote down these words in my notebook: strings, lush instrumentation, distortion, a gurgling beat, string solo, the brass section sounds electronically processed. Then there's a clatter, maybe also chirping. The 4'40 long song is very reminiscent of soundscapes from films like "Microcosmos". It's currently planned to be a single, and it's a strong one indeed!

"Gloomy Planets" returns to the more acoustic-guitar based sound. Synths whir, effects obscure Markus Acher's vocals - and that's something we'll notice all along the album: most of the singing, of the lyrics remains undecipherable. But then comes a song that's just as strong as the second one: "Alphabet", what a wall of sound! Onetwothree hi-hats, a rattling, tom-toms in between, a monotonous picking, no, more like a quiver actually. On top of that, there's distortion, bleeps and blops, and then after three minutes it slowly fades out: "Alphabet" sounds rather low-key, quiet and melancholy.

"The Devil, You and Me" is first and foremost an excellent title, and one can sense the story behind it. It starts with a piano tremolo, dark attacks in minor key, quivering sounds, and then the acoustic comes in again. But once again: the words are really hard to make out. "Bring it all home, and keep it warm" Have I heard this? Or other words that resemble these? The xylophone is finally interrupted, cut to full instrumentation. "Gravity" also works with treated electronic sounds, and after the fast and hard introduction follows a voice that repeats the mantra "Gravity will not get me".
"Sleep" is a downtempo number, with minor chords on the piano - "We stayed for one reason/The sun was up all night/And I put my arms around you" Nice!

But now it's highlight time: "On Planet Off" is probably the strongest song on the album, although it should take ten or twenty more listens to be able to confirm that initial assessment. Or maybe ten years, who knows. Anyway, after a bit less than 30 minutes of new Notwist, this five-minute number starts off dark, gloomy, with a mechanic rhythm, or maybe even the sound of a machine. "It's pushing me out today", sings Acher at the most understandable spot through the heavy and creaky effects. The guitar picking sounds somehow exotic, African or maybe Indian - at various points you could certainly bet your sitar it does. The following "Boneless" should perhaps be a radio single. It's almost three minutes long, a good length for a pop song - this very snappy song has the best chances.

Two songs to go, 6 minutes and 39 secondes, and then it will already be over. The Notwist's sixth album is 42 minutes long, or rather, short: Acher and Gretschmann were able to complete eleven songs in the past few months, plus one that's being finished right now (but won't appear on the album).

"Hands On Us", and again the storyline unfolds before our eyes. Once again, though, Marcus Acher's lyrics remain hard to make out. Again, we hear dark, bouncing minor attacks on a keyboard, smooth guitar picking, and lush string arrangements. It is one of the strongest songs, somewhere between Hauschka and Alarm Will Sound's poppy interpretations of Aphex Twin. Closer "Gone Gone Gone" pales in comparison. Acher sings accompanied by a poppy guitar: "When it's cold (?) / Hello to all the others / Cause they'll / we'll / Never let you go this far".

So? After a single full listen and a second listen of a few choice songs, it is hard to describe the new Notwist project only as a sequel to "Shrink" and "Neon Golden". Too much time has passed, too many people have (successfully) emulated their signature sound in the meantime, and we had too little time for a comprehensive analysis. Maybe these few scribbles should be considered more as a preview: singing and lyrics are an integral part of this record, so it's a shame that they are so hard to understand. A detailed booklet should help here. For now, the singing also seems to work more as a stylistic device, an instrument that attenuates the sometimes spare, sometimes opulent electronics. And even if a classical orchestra of around twenty players took part in the recording, we are not dealing with classical music..

[dieblucasdie]

when is this out when is this out when is this out

[guanajuato]

i'm pretty excited for this, and wonder what happened in the years when they could have really capitalized on that wonderful wonderful last record. did they just get lazy? drug problems? it's been a long long long wait, no matter how excited i am to hear it, i'd forgotten about em.

[edison]

The album's out in May, it's called The Devil, You + Me and the first single "Good Lies" is here (still not too sure what to think about it after a few listens, btw).

I don't think there were drug problems or anything of the sort, they just did tons of collaborations, pretty much.

[dieblucasdie]

Uh, you should think about it that it's FUCKING AWESOME.

I'm still bitter about their bus breaking down in Canada and them not actually performing in Chicago in '04 (They did come back later with the whole 13 & God thing, but it's still not the same).  Maybe this time around.

edit:  Seriously I've listened to that like 10 times in row.

[Thermofusion]

I'm glad there's a growing resurgent buzz for these guys on the blogs right now because they definitely deserve it.  Neon Golden has a pretty personal significance to me and it was a key part of my seasonal affective disorder-informed urban isolation soundtrack during a miserable few months living in Boston.  I always thought its production managed to be adventurous and elegant at the same time, which is hard to pull off.

And hopefully the Notwist's dormancy over the past several years has wiped clean the "German Radiohead" comparisons that made no sense when Neon Golden came out.

[alex]

I have to say the original text is not very well written at all anyway - you'll likely believe that some of the comments he makes are so dumb that they probably result from a bad translation, but it's not the case!

I can confirm that the original is actually much more painful to read than the translation!

[RavingLunatic]

Thanks so much for this Edison and Alex! I cannot wait for this to come out. I guess it was streaming on Pitchfork a few days ago, but I missed out on that.

[edison]

I don't think it was streaming at Pitchfork. In fact, I'm certain it wasn't.

Anyway, you're welcome!

[RavingLunatic]

Oh, I must've heard a false report then.

[dieblucasdie]

Hey so this album is pretty killer guys

[Bubbachups]

It's currently streaming on the Dutch 3voor12 listening pole:
http://3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/

Listened to it once so far, so it's too soon for me to say anything apart from the fact that I think that this one is less catchy. Could just as well be a good thing though.

[RavingLunatic]

Hey so this album is pretty killer guys

Yeah, I listened to it a couple times a month or so ago, was quite pleased, but am putting off further listening until I can have it in my hands. Apparently there's going to be a deluxe version of the album for 4 extra dollars? I searched our system at work today and this came up. I don't know what the deluxe version includes, but I think I'm going to get it.

[guanajuato]

i listened 3 times through, and although there were a handful of tracks, i deemed it much like a death cab for cutie album in that it sounds so familiar because of the band's signature sound that it's automatically 'catchy'.

however, unlike neon golden, i had no wish to hear these songs again.

i got the feeling they put about as much effort into these songs as i put in listening to them. i'm left concluding that neon golden (a classic) was an aberration, because i didn't like anything of what i heard before it. it saddens me because i tried to give myself to it in my car. i was ready to thrust my pelvis into my cd player.

but

[dieblucasdie]

Really, you don't like Shrink?

[edison]

I am among the people who care(d) very much about Neon Golden and Shrink, but I can't really bring myself to get excited about this, for some reason. I listened to it once and liked it alright, but that's it. I have a feeling this is more about my current mood and the evolution of my tastes within these six years than about the quality of the music itself, though.

[RavingLunatic]

I haven't listened enough times or closely enough to come to any definitive conclusions, but one of the things that bothered me a bit is the lack of electronic in many of the songs. The impression I got was that the most electronic songs on the album are the best ones, while the acoustic ones are good, but nothing special. I can understand where Guanajato's coming from. It's like some of the songs are demos that they were too lazy to fully develop. Like I said though, I was generally very pleased with the sound of the record, but I don't think it's going to be a classic like Neon Golden. Shrink had some incredible songs but was a little inconsistent to me. This one doesn't seem to have the highs of either Neon Golden or Shrink but is consistently very good. Again, this is all based on a couple listens over a month ago, so don't take these comments too seriously.

[guanajuato]

Really, you don't like Shrink?

not so much. i was such an adoring fan of neon golden, by the time i heard shrink, i was disappointed. i kinda heard all the older albums at once, so if shrink is awesome, it's my mistake for unifying them all as badness

[dieblucasdie]

It's more inconsistent than Neon Golden but in it's own little way almost as good. 

[RavingLunatic]

"No Encores" is phenomenal.

[guanajuato]

It's more inconsistent than Neon Golden but in it's own little way almost as good. 

i will give 'er another listen based on 'in it's own little way almost as good.' it makes it sound too charming to not