The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me

The Devil, You + Me (2008, Domino) The Notwist's sixth studio album. ***1/2

Electronica is a beautiful thing, because it doesn't necessarily exclude itself to just computers. Look at Hot Chip, for example, they play drums and guitar and all that good stuff. And no album better represents the successful crossover of rock and electronica than Radiohead's 1997 masterpiece OK Computer. But the Notwist have taken an interesting turn with their album, which seems like a more detailed version of Thom Yorke's The Eraser.

What separates this indie electronic album from others is its level of sophistication. All the details are carefully placed, and none of it is for dancing. This is listening music, mood music, and thankfully good music. The Devil, You + Me is full of slow, scratchy beats, sounding like distortions in the final recording, like faults in the master tapes. It's glitchy and trippy, and that becomes apparent early on with "Where in the World," which moderates itself between the bare minimums and the ultimate limitations, being scarce and overflowing with sound at different points. At times it feels like the album is too detailed for its own good, as added layers become unneccessary or irksome. Acher doesn't have the best vocals, either, and his accent, although slight, does seep through too often to be ignored. They've done better, but The Devil, You + Me is still an interesting entry in intelligent electronica. (Where in the World, Your Alphabet, Gravity)