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I'm doing this week's Moods all Jill style. That includes a definition. That's what makes it awesome!
Scariest video ever. For realsies.
Evolution can be defined as "the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form." When taking into account The Notwist's expansive career, it becomes pretty simple to understand how this word applies to the band and their constantly diversifying sound. And to many, myself included, the pinnacle of this evolutionary process happened in 2002 with the release of the modern classic, Neon Golden. A flawless, masterful work of art, the album stands among an elite few that I would consider to be truly perfect. This kind of admiration is undoubtedly deserved, but can also lead to lofty, out of reach expectations. However, The Notwist are not a band that disappoints. They are a band that evolves. So while The Devil, You + Me, may initially seem like a disappointment to some, the end result is something that stands on its own. It is an album that doesn't necessarily exceed expectations, but does an amazing job of defying them.
This time out, The Notwist have created an album with a much lusher soundscape. The Devil, You + Me, features the guitar much more prominently than any of their albums released in the last decade. Where on Neon Golden, the band was content to hide it behind layers of electronics or mask it with countless effects, they now seem to welcome the sound, and often bring it to the front of their songs. The result is phenomenal, giving the album a much more natural, organic feel. This change also suits the lyrical content and mood of the album, as it is much darker than their past work has been. The band acknowledges this in recent interviews, saying that the darkness of the songs stems directly out of their personal struggles.
On "Gloomy Planets," one of the album's best songs, Markus seems to be questioning the reason why things happen, while simultaneously acknowledging that he'll probably never know ("Why is everything so locked up?" he ponders). The acoustic guitar is thick here, but it's blended perfectly with the band's signature electronic sound. The darkness arises once again on the album's title track, which also happens to be its best. Here Markus sings,"We know we're not the smartest/ in this place we don't have to be/ lights are out but anyhow/ this is what they see/ it's the devil/ its you and me." The sheer minimalism of the song is shocking at first, with only an acoustic guitar and vocals, but the band eventually adds in some stunning bells and simple, appropriate drums. Still, it never evolves (there's that word again), as one might expect, into a bombastic electronic track. And it's all the better because of it.
Can you believe it's only been two weeks since the last myspace music monday? It feels like a lifetime! So I know you're sitting on the edge of your seat, eagerly anticipating this article. That's why I won't waste any more of your time with fancy-shmancy introductions. Just read.
Songs:
The Long of It: You know what the sad thing about this is? The band probably could've made a few decent songs if it weren't for their lead singer. The guys sure are familiar with their instruments, and aside from the low fidelity, their recordings aren't all that terrible. But there's that Gav fellow who just flat out doesn't sound good. Hopefully the rest of the band has moved on to other projects. As for the singer, well, I hope he has come to terms with his lack of talent and tried to occupy his time with other activities - like water polo! Who doesn't love water polo?
Lame title aside, this album is really... well... cheesy. Robyn had a few good hits off of this album back in 1997, but more than a decade later, Robyn Is Here is still lackluster. With its dated hip hop mixes and lyrics, the album has a very retro feel when listening to it now. Robyn has a good voice, but at times, she forces her voice to do things it doesn't sound comfortable doing, particularly with her melismas. I wouldn't venture so far to say Robyn Is Here is a bad album, but merely that it doesn't hold up today as being the album I thought it was several years ago.
What's good about this album? Well for starters, the previously mentioned hits helped to push the album. Debut single "Do You Know (What It Takes)" in its Mandy Moore-ish musicality is still pretty catchy and I can even find myself singing a long to it today. However, if released in present day, I doubt it would do nearly as well as it did then. "Show Me Love", equally as good a song is merely a slower version of the same Mandy Moore-ish reminiscent style. Both songs are upbeat little tracks about love which are still very cute, regardless of how they'd fare as radio hits today. I like them. The most unique song on Robyn Is Here is "I Wish", an a capella track about her desiring the love of another. With its memorable melodies, my only complaint about "I Wish" is the fact that it sounds a bit forced when she's singing. She sounds a little like a "white girl" who thinks she's black, trying to sing with more soul than she has. That critique aside, I still think it's one of her better tracks.
Most of the songs on Robyn Is Here sound as if they had potential, but died back in 1997. Among these are all of them not mentioned above, though some are by far worse than others. "Bumpy Ride", "The Last Time", and "Don't Want You Back" are all the best of the worst, but not really more than that. There are a few memorable hooks, but not any real depth or distinctive characteristics. These are the songs that are catchy enough to listen to once through, but anymore than that and you'll be asking yourself "why". Other songs like "Do You Really Want Me" and "You Got That Somethin'" are entirely obnoxious. "Do You Really Want Me" is based on the musical theme of the "nana nana boo boo" melody, which I find a little patronizing, not cute. On the less annoying, but equally stupid side, "You've Got That Something" has a kind of 70's vibe that makes you want to wear tall socks, roller skates, and short gym shorts. That would be cool if it was not like stepping into some weird alternate Kool-Aid universe, but it's just that. It's weird.
"In My Heart", "Just Another Girlfriend", "How", "Here We Go" and "Robyn Is Here" are all utterly forgettable. These are the songs that would set Simon Cowell off on a tangent. They are not at all good, but extremely boring, and you wonder who told her that it would be a good idea to go ahead with those tracks being on the album. They all strike me as very lazy songs with poor melodies, outdated beats and music, and stupid lyrics. Basing the album on these 5 songs, I'd give it a 2, along the lines of Ace of Base.
However, since there were not only tolerable songs, but also a few good ones, I've got to give it a bit higher of a rating... but only a bit. It's a decent album for when it came out, but more than 10 years later, Robyn Is Here would likely not be anyone's first choice of listening material. Yet, she did have another album titled Robyn that came out just a few weeks ago. Maybe that one will do better. The awaiting musical world can only hope... or not.
Key Tracks
1. Do You Know (What It Takes)
2. Show Me Love
3. I Wish
So you've just had your heart broken. What do you do now? Well, if you're like most people, you crawl up in the fetal position and listen to some music. Or you get hammered. Or you kill yourself. For the purposes of this post, let's just say you do the first, okay? Here's a playlist to help you in your troubles. There's some songs in here that you can totally relate to in your vaginal state. There's also a few that should bring a smile to your face. When it's all over with, get up and get back out there. Then come back to this playlist in a few months, or whenever it happens again.
