De/Vision – Two (2001)
De\Vision is one of the few synth-pop groups, whose work I really like. For the first time I discover this band in 2002 and it was the album titled Two. I admit, I was impressed. Much later, I joined more thoroughly to this style of music, and to this band in particular. First of all, I can not be critical to such a high quality and beautiful electronic music – everything is perfect. However, sound of the the band has changed significant from the album Void, but nevertheless, it was good for the musicians. I guess it’s not worth to mention that it is one of the most authoritative synth-pop bands of our time. Some people may say that the more often a group releases a new album, the faster the band became monotonous. In this case, this statement does not correspond to the truth, and despite the periodicity, the music of this band is never borimg and remains interesting even with time. And here we have properly balanced album, which I listen to with undisguised interest even now. Having recorded a number of good synth-pop albums in the 1990s, brave German guys from the De / Vision realized that if they continue to do the same, in a few years they will do self-plagiarism, a copy of themselves. It was necessary to change something in the sound of the band. They began to do it with the previous album and now they continue to do something new with each new album. The album Two wasn’t the exception.
On the new album De/Vision changed the sound dramatically. Live guitars and drums are something of the past, new material should be considered as a desire to return to the origins. The album Two turned out to be very interesting in terms of the genre – orthodox fans will be satisfied with the traditional melodies and stunning electronic arrangements. The disadvantage of this approach is monotony, which is compounded by the fact that almost all the songs are performed at an average tempo. As for me, some tracks (“State of Mind”, “Escape the World”) sound boring. The best thing from the album is the song “Heart Shaped Tumor”. “Heroin” and “Uncarring Machine” I would also refer to the best songs from the album.
Lyrics are dedicated to the most beautiful feeling between man and woman – love… To summarize: this work shows us that the musicians have something to strive for as a poets and composers. I haven’t notice weak songs on the album. As composers, because this band practically do not use sampling. Bravo, De\Vision!