[:SITD:] - Bestie:Mensch

Written by Sebastian Huhn Monday, 10 September 2007 21:47

Title: Bestie:Mensch
Band: [:SITD:]
Genre: Electro
Release Date: 7th September 2007
Label: Accession Records

Introduction

[:SITD:] was founded in 1996.After some line-up changes in the past, the actual line-up consist of Carsten Jacek, Tom Lesczenski and Frank D'Angelo. The shortcut [:SITD:] stands for “Shadows in the Dark” and is a metaphoric effigy for the musical and textual content of the band. Now - in 2007- they released already their third album, entitled 'Bestie:Mensch' which takes a look behind the facade of human existence.

Members

Carsten Jacek - Vocals and Lyrics
Thomas “Tom” Lesczenski - Keyboards, Programming, Sampling and Backing Vocals
Francesco “Frank” D'Angelo - Keyboards and Backing Vocals

Website

http://www.sitd.de / http://www.myspace.com/xsitdx

Track Review

01. Herbsterwachen - 7:34
The first song of the album is a very atmospheric song that resides more in the mid-tempo area but has a very strong beat. The lyrics sound like some reminiscence back to the days when we fought for our rights. There was something like a current spirit. But times have changed. The will to fight against, what's wrong seems to be gone. We condone the government’s decisions without even questioning them. That is - of course - just my interpretation. The lyrics are performed by Carsten and Tom together this time. Carsten is doing the verses, while Tom performs the chorus.

02. Stammheim - 5:53
'Stammheim' is the name of a prison in Germany, which became famous by housing the leading members of the Red Army Fraction, who were responsible for a set of events which later would be known as the 'German Autumn'. Most of the arrested members of the RAF committed suicide during their arrestment. This deadly serious topic is presented in the shape of a club track, so you can either dance to it or you can deal with the lyrics.

03. Telepathic - 4:51
With 'Telepathic', [:SITD:] explore their more experimental side. Lots of noises and disturbing sounds appear in the background and the whole atmosphere of the track is very gloomy and haunting due to the extensive use of deep strings and chorals. The whole thing is accentuated by a very slow and halting beat.

04. Kreuzgang V.2 - 6:30
Some of you may already be familiar with this track as it was already released on the 'Klangfusion Vol.1'. The album version audibly sets itself apart from that previous mentioned version. The melodies are completely replaced with incredibly wide synth layers that create a much denser atmosphere. It's a club track after all so don't worry about that. The beat will prove that.

05. Displaced - 6:57
'Displaced' is a clean balladry tune, this time performed by Tom, who is the better choice when it comes to “real” singing. Although it has a very strong beat, this song is more intended for home listening than for the club. You can almost drown in the multi-layered string arrangements that create a very dense atmosphere almost impossible to cut through. Just lay back and let the music carry you away with this very emotional song. It deals with the search for a place to call it home, a place to retreat.

06. Floating - 4:15
'Floating' is a quite unusual [:SITD:] instrumental, cause it uses break-beat sounds as a rhythmical fundament and combines it with string arrangements to build up atmosphere.

07. Direction:North - 6:20
The loss of a close family member is always hard. I sadly know this all too well. Direction:North is a workup of such a situation, where a close family member of one of the band members died during the production. The sad lyrics in this track are counter parted by steam-hammer beats, sequences. The string arrangements are used very subdued here and are not as dominant as in other tracks.

08. Propaganda - 5:10
'Propaganda' is - from my point of view - a clear statement to the American government and the war in Iraq. The lyrics are completely in German so I will translate a few lines to substantiate that. “You choose the soft targets, you choose the doom”. Or some lines of the chorus - “You preached morality, but you only sowed violence” And again a very serious topic is presented as a club track with a fast and stomping beat and different melodic synth layers.

09. Reincarnation - 7:27
'Reincarnation' has a quite metaphysical approach. The reincarnation which literally means 'to be made flesh again' is a belief that the soul, an essential part of a living being survives the death and is reborn in a new body. It develops a new personality in each new life, while some parts of the old life always remains present. The song might be a comfort for all those, who lost someone close to them just by the possibility that a beloved person isn't fully gone and that a part of this person lives on. The direction of the song is very balladry. The drum-patterns - even though they are well programmed - are not that dominant in this song as it concentrates more on the creation of atmosphere and Tom’s voice.

10. Silver Bombs - 5:34
This song combines typical [:SITD:] trademarks with new elements and sounds. There's this typical stomping beat, the boys are well known for but this time the drum-patterns are more layered and diversified as usual. They also integrated some new melodic elements and added them to their well-known atmospheric string arrangements. The lyrics are performed in a rather whispering way now. The song deals with “Stalking” in every conceivable and inconceivable sick way.

11. Heroic - 2:13
The album is ended by a special piece of music, that I never expected to find on an [:SITD:] release: A melancholic and beautifully played piano track. No electronics, just the piano and your thoughts...

Cover Picture

Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8.5

Conclusion

[:SITD:] evolved with their newest album 'Bestie:Mensch'. No doubt about that it still sounds like [:SITD:] of course, but they also integrated new elements into the sound without letting their trademarks behind. There are some more experimental tracks on the album 'Telepathic' and the instrumental track 'Floating' are good examples for the fact, that the band is capable of breaking out of the schemes and do something, no one expected. They even placed a piano track on the album, what really surprised me, when I first listened to it. The lyrics are also very interesting. Some of the statements are very clear, some other leave room for the listeners own thoughts and interpretations. Something for everyone! The negative point is - in my opinion - that the beat is sometimes too dominant. Additionally to the normal version there is a limited version available containing a second CD that holds various remix tracks [:SITD:] has done for other artists over the years.

{jos_sb_discuss:19}