During their 25 years as a band, The Notwist have embraced change. The four-piece started as a hardcore act before delving into indie and discovering a penchant for electronic music. Needless to say, as the band progresses with time, so does their pool of influences – which brings us to Close To The Glass, a record that reflects upon an even wider scope of musical styles.
A few years ago the band tried their hand at scoring a film called Storm (or Sturm in their native German). Although it probably isn’t fair to critique a score as an album alone, it didn’t stop publications from panning the release. Despite this, it seems the experience planted some seeds for the band’s future releases; in fact, this LP could easily be a soundtrack.
There is a mixture of tracks so varied that you would be forgiven for thinking they were by different bands. Some are electronic, some are indie, and there’s even cinematic post rock numbers – like stand-out ‘Lineri’.
So, the dilemma is: can the whole album, with all its styles, appeal to one person? Maybe if the listener has a broad musical taste. But for the rest, there are definite hits and misses.
With its pulsing and robotic beat, electronic fans will like ‘Signals’ – a tune similar to Thom Yorke’s solo stuff, though perhaps without Yorke’s gravitas. A trace of Fujiya and Miyagi and their lethargic downbeat is also peppered throughout.
While the diverse mix can make for a confusing collection at times, it is the indie tracks like ‘Kong’, with their guitar-driven and upbeat pop tempo, that really stand out. Let’s hope this genre is featured more prominently on the band’s next release.
Listen to ‘Kong’ from Close To The Glass here:
