New Music Reviews - Home of DJ Willis

“The past two decades have seen more than a few incarnations of German musical eclectic the Notwist. Its 1989 debut was driven by hardcore metal influences, making it just about the polar opposite of recent efforts like 2002’s “Neon Golden,” a dreamy, Technicolor lullaby. “The Devil, You + Me” follows in that album’s stunning panorama, combining Markus Archer’s hushed vocals and haunting harmonies with a slowly dissolving pace that progresses from the forward-rushing opening track “Good Lies” to the bare and ambling closer “Gone Gone Gone.” Throughout, eerie production touches (metallic clinks and synth bleeps on “Where in This World”) and organic sounds (acoustic guitars and glockenspiel on the title track) fit seamlessly to form the Notwist’s most charming and complex work to date.—Lavinia Jones Wright”