German electronic band the Notwist‘s 2002 LP Neon Golden is a fragile album, built on Markus Acher’s lovelorn vocals and beds of rickety electronics that tangled and disintegrated as they were being played. It was very pretty, but also very of its time; in 2002, making melancholy, glitchy albums wasn’t yet played out, but by the time the Postal Service — a group that shared emotional, if not exactly musical similarities with the Notwist — released Give Up the following year, the sound was getting tired (which would probably explain why the Notwist’s 2008 album The Devil, You + Me went largely unnoticed.)
During the recording of Close to the Glass, Martin Gretchmann was more the mad-scientist than ever before, standing behind a small…
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…mountain of analog modular synths, not only playing but also manipulating the performance of his bandmates as they played. The strong connection and creative trust between band members allowed for the traditional lines between roles to blur more than ever before. With everyone playing anything, the band felt they could take their music anywhere, from sheer noise to kraut-rock beat pocket to arena rock ride out. Close to the Glass is also full of vocal leaps for Markus Acher, experimenting not only with effects but also with his range, leaving the comforts of his signature style to take this album somewhere new.
“Run Run Run” is an electronic renovation of a simple blues song, every member of the band manipulating each other’s performance. This was the first song created for the album with its blend of classic approach and cutting edge execution, and it would set the tone for the rest of the recording process.
“Casino” is a perfect display of the self-sampling freedom that went into the recording of Close to the Glass. What began as an instrumental by Micha or Andy, was resampled by Martin, then sung on by Markus and played live on tour. But when they went to record it for the album, it felt off until they played it as a band in the sparer final form it has today.
“Kong” driven by its beat and anthemic guitar chords is The Notwist’s homage to ’90s indie-pop. The lyrics are a true story about a young Markus and his family trapped in their home by a flood, dreaming as hard as he could about being saved by superheroes as the water rose around them.
Now in 2014, we find the most excited/exciting evocation of The Notwist releasing their most adventurous record yet. Proud as always to be on their long-time European label CITY SLANG, they are now over the moon to be on SUB POP in the Americas, a label that is home to dozens of their favorite bands and LPs. Here’s to one and all enjoying Close to the Glass, a record that feels as good in expensive headphones as it does in the trunk, a seamless soundtrack for that movie always going on inside you.