Artist: Rotersand
Album: Capitalism™
Genre: Future Pop / Electronic / Progressive Trance / Techno
Release Date: 4th November 2016
Label: Trisol
Album Review
ROTERSAND is not only a famous light house in Germany but also a German band founded in 2002 by Rascal Nikov and Gunter Gerl (Gun). Both had already collaborated in different musical projects together before. In the same year, DJ and producer Krishan J.E. Wesenberg joined the band. Characteristic for ROTERSAND is the extraordinary blend of Future Pop with Trance and Techno sounds and the sophisticated lyrics beyond the clichés of the Gothic scene. For some years, the band reduced to a duo. The released albums reached high positions in the DAC (German Alternative Charts), the Nordic Alternative Charts as well as in the Netherland Alternative Charts. The band toured alongside with ASSEMBLAGE 23, COVENANT on its ‘Skyshaper’ tour through Europe and the USA and also with VNV NATION. ROTERSAND has the reputation of being an exceptional live band. With this release the band has launched 6 albums and 12 EPs.
The main topics of the lyrical content are, like the album title implies, quite social - political capturing the impact on the individual living in a capitalistic system nowadays with all the snares and ambiguities. The opener starts slowly with the tension building up before it turns into a dance track telling us that whatever one, as an individual, does or feels, others do or feel as well. Regardless how disconnect you might feel, in the end we are all connected. The next song is about the seeming and the real, asking us if the problems and our tough appearance despite the truth behind this mask aren’t enough. All this packed in a dance track. With the staccato singing and the marching sound the following song - the title track of the album - gives the listener the impression that a politician is holding a speech to an audience claiming that it’s useless to try to gain wealth, power and influence as the (capitalistic) system takes everything from you. With the speaker thanking his audience and the audience cheering with “Hey, hey” you get the impression that despite the message the mass doesn’t really understand the meaning but hails the ones in power. And this is underlined by the song line “Controlled by informatics believing that you are free”.
The next song is the already released single ‘Torn realities‘ in an extended version. In contrast to the previous song this one comes along more light-footed but the message is here that one day you might find out that there is a gap between the self-perception and the reality and finally see the things that really matter. The fifth song is a quite sombre dance track that gives orders how to behave compliant in a monopolistic system. The next one slows the tempo down before the following one invites to dance again with the excellent blend of Future Pop and Trance elements. The singer addresses here to the listener and while he, close to the end, asks repeatedly and intensely “Are you looking for answers?” the arc of suspense is increased musically before the danceable rhythm sets in again. The most sombre and aggressive song of this album is reflected by the noisy sound in the beginning, the distorted vocals and the stomping beats. And with this created dark atmosphere the statement ‘You’re nothing!‘ is perfectly underlined. The second to last song is almost an invitation to revolt by stating “Get a life! Learn to disagree!”. The finishing song comes along less angry or aggressive and has almost a conciliating message by asking us to come out of the isolation that many of us are in and (re)connecting with other people.
Once again ROTERSAND understood it to create an album with significant lyrical content and imbed them in extraordinary blends of Future Pop with EBM, Trance and Techno elements that invites you to dance. So you have both: music to dance to and when you’re not dancing, listening to it intensively is definitely worth it. The album is available as CD, vinyl, download version or you can download each song.
Tracklist
01. Not alone
02. It’s about us
03. Capitalism™ (We own you)
04. Torn realities (Extended version)
05. Monopole
06. Welcome home
07. Hey you
08. You’re nothing
09. Disagree
10. Überload
Line-up
Rascal Nikov
Krishan J. E. Wesenberg
Website
http://rotersand.net / https://www.facebook.com/rotersand
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10
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