The band is and remains for me just - probably. yet next to the old blumfeld - the best indie rock band in this country!
For here the heart of indie fans must beat faster: beautiful guitar riffs, melodies and arrangements Super! And of course Dirk's inimitable voice.
The texts are of course here is not for everyone; mostly self-deprecating and only superficially philosophical profound, the mood of the audience can still catch again and again quite well: that's probably mostly mild depression and melancholy and resignation in the experience of (often young people) everyday, really happy with hardly anyone is (if not for Toco's would be good music, but everything would be a lot worse!).
Vorliegendes album is clear again Tocotronic, but you have here powered by arrangement and instrumentation significantly more effort, making newer and more complex sound structures could arise.
The album cover and the caption read (of course again very self-deprecating) on the approach to "futuristic" sound of whose involvement (through synthesizers) in the typical sound of the band tocopherol but very well done!
The album is about 71 minutes long, surprisingly long. Nevertheless, there are no really bad songs:
- "KOOK" is a first English sung song, the sound-wise seems to us in "other worlds" to kidnap (thanks to synthesizers). The song acts hymnen- way, is almost an instrumental, apart from the sparse text, of almost ausschließl. insists on the title of the song; nevertheless clearly audible;
- "The accident must be repulsed" gives us textually the old Toco's back. Also sound-wise: it is again strummed the guitar. Various influences create a somewhat bizarre, bleak but quite audible atmosphere;
- "Jackpot": here again the synthesizer as the opener, creating a "futuristic" sounding atmosphere. But it is - sung to Happiness more and made more statements. One of the catchiest and one probably. best songs on the album;
- "Boundaries of good taste" spread once again extremely lyrically gloomy atmosphere; nevertheless clearly audible;
- "Let There Be Rock" was the "hit" - single of the album, with the famous fanfare sound from the "Europe" - the song "Final Countdown". But I still do not exactly call this song as the most successful of this album;
- "Under the expressway": fast, good song, by age toco- manner;
- "Day without shadow": as simple as brilliant instrumental song;
- "The Gift": almost entirely instrumental song with a short text passage, where casually mentioned: "They took me just, / the gift of my life / ...". Before (self-) irony and humor you are in this band just never sure! Nevertheless, good song!
- "These are not riddles": slower, heavier song of the band, in more traditional toco- sound structure, which is broken skillfully in the soulful passages;
- "Across the Channel": similar to the previous song;
- "The good advice": short song; one of the best here, I think;
- "Around the corner thinking": interesting rhythm and text;
- "The new strangeness", "strange" text; but one of the most beautiful songs here;
- "Tomorrow will be like today": quieter ballad about loneliness and monotony of everyday life; good text; somewhat reminiscent of the earlier song of the band: "We are here not in Seattle, Dirk"; yet probably. The best song on the album;
- "The limits of good taste": "text-heavy" song; nevertheless good, something "traditional" instrumentation. For me one of the best songs on the album;
- "Rock Pop in Concert": Again outweigh the instrumental part of the song. Text still not bad. Typical, "traditional" indie rock sound structure. But good;
- "17": about 11 minutes long final song, the one still is not too long (!). One has the feeling, this endlessly float in a spaceship through the universe.
CONCLUSION: I think this album for a very creative and varied product, if not the best of the Sound Forge this in my opinion in this country continue to best indie rock band "Tocotronic" (an album like "digital is better" to beat, should also such a band hardly be possible!).
They tried to break new ground here, what you feel on the new, elaborate use of musical instruments, and which is quite successful. Nevertheless, most of the songs remain here a reference to previous toco- album; the recognition value is high (enough).
No song is bad here. Again, throughout more adventurous indie rock at its finest.
For me, therefore, one of the best rock albums of 1999!