The Notwist's latest album, Messier Objects, is a collection of instrumental compositions culled from the scores they generated for various theatre productions and radio plays. The band have cited '70s soundtracks in particular as serving chiefly among their inspirations. The tracks featured on this collection are all instrumental and the bulk of them feature understated percussion or none at all.
Despite the dominant role occupied by synthesizers on these compositions, their cohesion is achieved via the organic aesthetic of the production. These rich, subtle songs undoubtedly fulfilled an integral role in the various works they scored. However, as is often the case, scores tend to fall flat when decontextualized from the source material. Scores are typically understated, complementing that which it scores without intruding upon it. As a listening experience in and of itself, Messier Objects offers very little to stimulate or engage and will likely only resonate with the most diehard among the Notwist's fan base.
(Alien Transistor)Despite the dominant role occupied by synthesizers on these compositions, their cohesion is achieved via the organic aesthetic of the production. These rich, subtle songs undoubtedly fulfilled an integral role in the various works they scored. However, as is often the case, scores tend to fall flat when decontextualized from the source material. Scores are typically understated, complementing that which it scores without intruding upon it. As a listening experience in and of itself, Messier Objects offers very little to stimulate or engage and will likely only resonate with the most diehard among the Notwist's fan base.