Over the last couple of years, somehow ‘indie rock’ (which, for those keeping score, started out as a colloquial contraction for ‘independent rock’) became less a term for how and on what scale music was distributed and more a point of definition for a particular sound. Once, ’indie rock’ was music made on a tiny budget with tiny or modest ambitionsin mind but, now, it is more a term that defines ’tiny music’. Whether ’tiny’ refers to the scope, overall sound or simply the approach to writing that a band takes, ’indie rock’ now implies a small sound and, in that way, The Notwist is the quintessential modern indie band with one important (and incredible) difference: on The Devil, You +Me, The Notwist present tiny music exploded into a panoramic landscape.
On their new album, The Notwist start with a very small point and magnify it to discover what gorgeous, lush and unique sounds such a microcosm might yeild that a cursory glance may have missed. In this case, the focal point is Markus Archer’s small, tentative and self–conscious vocals along with his simplistic guitar figures but, from the opening build of “Good Lies,” sparks and animated strands of ambient energy radiate from Archer’s center in the ost evocative and fascinating ways; little burst of electronic sounds – sometimes as brief as a single beep – fly off in unexpected directions, tape loops crest and evaporate and the vapor trails from AndI Habert’s drums and Michael Acher’s bass create a pulse that’s almost biological. It’s not quite alive, but certainly seems as close to sentient as a collection of notes and sounds could be and, from there, the band gets ambitious with the idea.
With the “Good Lies” template in place, the band begins to stretch to see what else they can find. Digging deeper into “Where In The World”, for example, unearths string and horn sections as well as electronic drums that simultaneously feel revelatory and incredibly exciting while “Alphabet” sputters along on fractured drum patterns, buzzing electronic feedback and caterwauling electronic guitars. The effects of all these things call to mind Bjork’s work with Matmos (Vespertine) that included a host of found sound generators (walking on gravel and so on) but, unlike Bjork – who rested on top of those sounds and commanded them – Archer presents himself as being the vital center from which all of these sounds spring; like they couldn’t exist without him. His image and voice are always present and the parts only stray far enough to make sure that the central image isn’t obscured; those stray fibers can stray a long way – there’s no mistaking that – but listeners can’t get lost in the outlying extensions because they always draw back to the focal point. It’s an incredible listening experience; the willing would be well–served to put on a good set of headphones, lay back, relax and fade into the cosmos with this this album.
For more information, go to http://www.notwist.com/ , http://www.thedevilyouandme.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/thenotwistnow
