De/Vision – Noob (2007)
There is no doubt – the members of the band De / Vision Steffen Keth and Thomas Adam are iconic figures on the international synth pop scene. They have worked for almost two decades, they have performed at hundreds of concerts, they have released dozens of singles and albums, they became famous in Western and Eastern Europe, as well as in the United States. But I’m not sure about their last work Noob (the term is used in the gaming jargon to describe a completely unskilled player, or as an offence an experienced gamer who made a newbie’s mistake). When listening to this opus, it seems that the Germans were working not so hard as earlier. Still, who can release an album every year? But it is their choice and the choice of their fans. The new album turned out to be rather gloomy and melancholic, but with that necessary degree of irony that does not allow the album to be boring. After listening to Noob for the first time, even real fans could remain disappointed. Especially after such successful albums such as: “Devolution” (2003), “6 Feet Underground” (2004), “Subkutan” (2006). Butlet give the release one more chance.
From the very first seconds of listening to the album it becomes clear that it is, nevertheless, something unusual and interesting. Of course – it’s Kings of synth-pop De / Vision! As the band promised all the songs sound just like their early work, but in this album they are brilliant. On the one hand, everything hardly has changed – the music is of the same style, melodies are beautiful and interesting, cool synthetic sounding, and melancholic vocals, it feels like the band has made a step forward. In comparison with the previous album, music became more interesting, more colorful, if you listen carefully, you can find something new in every song. Lyrics are pretty philosophical. In general, the album is interesting and successful. Despite the song titles are rather grim, such as “Death of Me”, “Life is Suffering” – the songs do not leave any negative, melodies are pleasant, and after listening to the album you want to listen it again and again. You should pay attention to these songs, but their lyrics should not be taken literally. The second part of the album, after “Flavor Of The Week”, consists of more frankly melancholic, but at the same time more impressive compositions such as “Deep Blue”, “See What I See”, “The Far Side Of The Moon”.
I can not say that this album is the best one, but nevertheless, it is certainly a masterpiece, like all the other works by De / Vision.