Title: The Sound of Crash
Artist: Din [A] Tod
Genre: Electro Clash
Release Date: 9th November 2007
Label: Out of Line
Introduction
After they had played in several other bands, Sven Clausen and Claudia Fasold decided to work as a duo because they were tired of smelly rehearsal rooms and people interfering with their musical preferences. The first release of the project DIN [A] TOD was the ‘Living Dead EP’ in 2005 which was released on a 10” Picture Vinyl Disc. The title track became a scene-wide hit in the clubs. Over 2 years and lots of hard work later, they finally present their first album called ‘The Sound of Crash’.
Members
Sven Clausen
Claudia Fasold
Phelix Schneefeld
Website
http://www.dinatod.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/dinatod
Track Review
01. The Sound of Crash - 2:51
“Order arises from the chaos” is a good description for the intro track. Surrounded by various bleeping and flurrying you'll hear that a structure becomes audible. Sequences getting louder and louder and after some tome you'll recognize guitars and the structure becomes clearer and clearer...
02. Ephedrine Logic - 6:10
...and fades without a gap into the next track on the album which is about the destruction of a self-image and the exhaustive process to build up a new one. Such a process is always affiliated to inner conflicts. The strophe started in the intro track is continued here. Sven’s chant has a certain coolness I never heard before. Minimalistic sequences and drums accompanied by synth lines give the track an almost danceable appeal. The vocals are processed with reverberation and add a cold touch to the arrangement.
03. Jean sans peur - 5:07
Even though the title is in French, the lyrics are not, so don't be afraid. I'd like to quote one line out of the lyrics here. “Tell me what to think, my will is weak.” Sounds like a perfect description of today’s society if you ask me. People sitting in front of their TVs and getting brainwashed. They don't even try to form an own opinion and wait for someone to tell them what to think, so they can apply it without questioning it. The drumming is again very minimalistic but with enough diversity and some tempo changes it never gets boring. I almost forgot the guitar parts with their rocking attitude that appear now and then. Sometimes processed and sometimes just clear and direct.
04. Carol's Fascination - 6:00
The synth sequence right at the beginning brings back a certain retro feeling and the bass parts remind me somehow of THE CURE. It's like being pushed back in time even though you clearly hear the modern production, but I like that feeling anyway. The song sounds so happy. The catchy melodies and the atmosphere are like a warm summer day, but the lyrics are the exact opposite, telling the story of Carol. You wouldn't assume such hopelessness within such a song. I like such contradictions.
05. Creation Crucifixion - 6:31
The title's already full of contrasts. On one hand there's the word “Creation” which symbolizes the emerging of something new, probably of something that never has been there before. The term is also used in the bible. The other term is “Crucifixion” which symbolically means the end of something and again there's a connection to the bible. Jesus hanging on the cross. The character here seems to be torn apart between extremes. Some lines from the lyrics show that pretty clearly “I'll always long for creation and destruction, irrational I know, I’ll always long for creation crucifixion”. I guess this song will become a good club hit. The beats are perfect for that. There's also this cold atmosphere resonating whiting the whole song and those minimal guitar parts. I like the song..
06. Tragic Blue - 4:11
Here they are again. Those base parts sounding very similar to the cure and the 80s feeling is back again in almost no time. Claudia’s voice sounds in the cold of the night, just to disappear again. The bass chord slowly transform into a synth sequence. Sometimes I think that I could hear a cold wind blowing in the background, but that could also be my imagination, I guess. Then the bass appears again in a higher pitch and accompanies the synths. In the middle part some new elements appear like noise that appear and are suddenly gone or changes in the drum programming.
07. Time made dogs of us - 5:47
Dou know those 8-Bit sounds appeared, when you started a game for example on a C64. The sounds at the beginning remind me a lot of those melodies announcing the game combined with some short video sequences. I really get nostalgic here but that's no wonder if you listen to a song like that. Some of the sounds seem to be taken from an old videogame. The drum parts are minimalistic like we already know that, but always filled with enough diversity.
08. Living Dead - 4:32
This track has already become a club hit since its release in 2005.No wonder as the beats seem to be designed for that purpose. Not too much and not too soft. This time Sven and Claudia perform the vocals together. Sven does the strophe in English and Claudia sings her part in German. Her voice brings up a nice contrast to Sven’s cool chant.
09. Friedberg - 7:52
A track as long as this is always a risk because if you're not able to fill it up with enough diversity it's a total waste of time, but at least for me this experiment is successful. But let's start at the beginning. First thing you'll hear is some intricate sound constructions before a kind of retrained beat joins the roundelay. After you got used to that, there comes a new element. I don't really know how to describe that in a proper way, but it's definitely dissonant... like a string instrument out of tune to give you a hint. The distinctive voice of Sven joins in to start with its unusual cool chant, but it's also the only thing that spreads some melody to this mechanical atmosphere. The arrangement gets an organic touch with the CURE-esque bass that's suddenly there. Some layers accompany and increase the sub cooled mood.
10. Buildings (Babylon rebuilt) - 6:52
Buildings... Does it mean real architecture or is it a symbol for our lives and the way we live them until the building is completed one day and we have to leave. Some have to leave way too early and didn't have the chance to complete theirs, others live in those buildings until they are about to deflate. And then there are those who are stuck inside a room and can't get any further while they have to watch others passing them by.... The track starts right away with retro sequences and sounds as well as minimalistic beats. Apart from that there's a lot more to discover. Just listen for yourself...
11. Margarita - 5:52
She's a sad woman living a sad life and she usually bursts into tears. There seems to be no hope anymore and for a long time she couldn’t fight back those feeling, but today it's different... A shimmer of hope. She suddenly believes that something will change. Will it really happen or is it just an illusion. A song that spreads this sub cooled atmosphere again we witnessed on the other tracks. I especially like this choral sound used here. It creates a creepy atmosphere. I also like to mention those drums that I heard somewhere before but I juts can't remember. Either way they sound pretty cool. You can dance to the track but also just listen to it on your headphones.
12. Living Dead (Demo Version) - 4:23
The last song is one we heard already earlier on the album. Tempo-wise there's no change at all, but the beginning is already different as those layered synths appear right from the start and the restrained beat sounds a little bit dull. Maybe just a different effect on the drum loops I suppose. Claudia’s vocal part is also a bit different in the way she sings her lyrics. So exhausted. The overall arrangement sounds a little bit rougher.
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8
Conclusion
This sound is unquestionable unique today, with its retro sounds and its cold atmosphere as well as the special way of singing that I really had to get used to because I never heard anything comparable before. At first I thought I wouldn't like that sound but it has something to it that grabs you and then you suddenly seize yourself when singing along to ‘Creation Crucifixion’ or ‘Margerita’. If you like something more complex I would recommend ‘Friedberg’ which has lots of things to discover. Well done!
{jos_sb_discuss:19}
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