Still indie, arty and full of energy, the German band continues to develop a richly melodic universe.
There are bands that form around a handful of references and, starting from that point, carve out a fairly logical path, straddling apprenticeship and emancipation. And then there is The Notwist.
Since surfacing at the very start of the 1990s, the German outfit has undergone a succession of metamorphoses, almost rivaling Radiohead in the realm of musical curiosity and risk-taking. To the point that, without the dreamy, melancholic voice of Markus Archer as a through-line, one might believe they are several separate entities.
A winding musical journey
This band of studio adventurers has paused for grunge, even punk hardcore, on a trio of debut albums that today seems to come from an alternate reality. The group later eased off on the distortion to graft jazz onto its indie rock (Shrink, 1998), electronic music (the masterpiece Neon Golden in 2002), or neoclassical textures (the strings and brass of The Devil, You + Me, 2008).
But never did one musical color dominate the others as The Notwist works in strokes with a taste for collage and gentle experimentation. This metamorphic dimension is explained by a hunger for collaborations and multiplicity.
Each member has always led parallel projects—no more or less important—and, on his own, Markus Archer has been part of Lali Puna or Ms. John Soda. The lineup also influenced the overall mood, and the departure in 2014 of Martin Gretschmann (aka Console), the one who programmed the machines, marked a retreat of electronic elements.
A poetic folk-rock dressed with guitars, clarinet and trombone
Written and recorded by Markus Archer, his brother Micha and Cico Beck with the active participation of their live entourage, News from Planet Zombie willingly follows the path of a poetic folk-rock dressed with guitars, clarinet and trombone (Teeth, Like This River, or the fragile Who We Used to Be).
The voice of Markus Archer, double-tracked with that of American Enid Valu, sounds clear and vulnerable, as on Red Sun, a magnificent, weightless Neil Young cover. The other half of this ninth album, dichotomous, loops back to signal a return to electrified, energized rock.
But, unlike the outlets of more than thirty years ago, the undeniable singles X-Ray, The Turning or Silver Lines do not sacrifice melody to energy. Comfortable in this balance, the arty German rockers age well, always inspired and surprising.
News from Planet Zombie (Morr Music/Bigwax). Release on March 13. In concert at the Trabendo, Paris, on April 24.
