The Notwist – The Devil, Me + You

I only found out about The Notwist recently after searching for something to fill the void left by the lack of any more Postal Service material. This is their first album in six years and the follow up to the critically acclaimed Neon Golden. I haven’t heard that one just yet so I can’t compare the two, but this does however put me in the position of judging The Devil. Me + You on its own merits.

I have already mentioned Postal Service but The Notwist aren’t to similar in sound to them, they are closer to Death Cab For Cutie or I Was A Cub Scout. They perfectly combine mellow indie pop with electronics. For me The Notwist are everything I wanted the new Death Cab album to be but failed at. I’m a sucker for indie with an electronic twist and The Notwist pull this off beautifully. Maybe one of the best examples I have heard in a very long time. Apparently they use to be a bit of a metal band but I will believe that when I hear it, I’m very sure its pure fact though.

The Devil, Me + You is full of sweet and tender songs, the German twang to Markus Acher’s voice reminds me of Kraftwerk but with a load of emotion instead of robotics. There are orcestral moments and big fat electro beats, along with accoustic sturrming. These fit together so beautifuly and in harmoney with one another, which can be hard to achive. There isn’t a bad track on The Devil, Me + You, a doubt any of them will blow you away either though. I will quite happly put this on to relax to either late at night or durring a lazy afternoon, its just perfect for these moments. It trumps Death Cab For Cutie’s Narrow Stairs by quite some way, as the lyrics don’t stray into the 6th form poetry relm and the music The Notwist make is a hell of a lot more inventive yet still as assesable.

My favourite tunes are the single Where In The World with its orcestral sweeps and electro beats. The tune I keep going back to is the fantastic Alphabet, which is an intence number full of building noise skatting drums like something you might have heard on Radiohead’s Kid A and the most beautiful vocal mellodies. Gravity is another highlight just for its sweet sound and straightforward good song writing. I really like the tune On Planet Off for its other worldly bass and ticks.

The Notwist have made a cracker with The Devil, Me + You it is worthy of a listen and a little place in your heart. It wont blow you away but it probibly wont disapoint either. When the mellow mood takes you grab this and let in envelop you in its rich elctronic indie warmth.

I Was A Cub Scout - Close To Me (Cure Cover)

I Was A Cub Scout have done a cover version of the Cure tune Close To Me and it's a cracker. A proper summer tune. It can be downloaded from Good Weather For Airstrikes. They have also anounced a bigger band line up that includes mebers of two other ace bands Rolo Tomassi and Youthmovies, at least for live shows anyway. Check out the tune for yourself. This tune also proves that goths can come out in the sunshine.

I Was A Cub Scout - Close To Me (Cure Cover)

I Was A Cub Scout - I Want You To Know There Is Always Hope

This album is the debut from I Was A Cub Scout (IWACS) it’s a real pop gem, in the best possible way. Without all the froth and cheese of chart indie fodder, of which I can’t even be arsed to mention. These two write beautiful synth lead indie pop with beastly drums and the occasional rocking out for good measure. IWACS owe a lot to the likes of Postal Service for pure catchy songs executed in a lush way. They however have a more guitar-laden sound than Postal Service’s digital processed sound. The stand out tracks are the melodic ‘Pink Squares’ that lodges its self in your brain from the outset with an irresistible riff, pounding drums and trance synths that drop into moody tension when the lyrics kick in. Another stand out is ‘Our Smallest Adventures’ and ‘The Hunters Daughter’. Maybe the most in debt tune to Postal Service is 'We Were Made To Love (ii)' with some really hooky synthasisers. I miss the excellent ‘Teenage Skin’, which has been left off the album that is a real good pounding dancy tune. If your in need for some good hooks and brilliant pop but don’t like all that cheese you could do worse than this.