Schatten, Die - Solanum

Title: Solanum
Artist: Die Schatten
Genre: Dark-Synth-Pop
Release Date: 2009
Album Review

Since 1994 DIE SCHATTEN have been producing up-scale dark synth pop for mass consumption, and ‘Solanum’, the band's third album, is available for free under a creative commons licence. The creative commons licence tends to often be emblazoned upon a lot of bedroom music that, lets face it, nobody would ever buy. But in recent years this has changed. With names like NINE INCH NAILS giving away partial or whole albums for free and in turn seeing a massive boost in merchandise and ticket sales, it has been proven that bigger acts can use 'Free' as a strong marketing tool. And then there are the genuinely talented who do it for the music and don't want a price tag coming between them and a potential new convert.

On first impressions it seems to me that DIE SCHATTEN are the latter - they have the talent befitting an act as long established as they are, and the pro-artistic expression attitude that is usually beaten out of most bands in favour of the pursuit of a profit on their efforts. ‘Solanum’ is a pop album in the way that JOY DIVISION and DEPECHE MODE make pop albums - rich, catchy, dark, and infectious…Too good to be true for a free download?

'First Shadow' opens the album with a very atmospheric number with a minimalist drum beat, hanging synths and simple and sparse sounding guitars that gives the album (which is essentially all about night time) a very dreamlike quality. 'Parasit' begins in a promising manner but to my ears sounds a bit lo-fi and almost amateurish in places for a band that has been around for fifteen years. 'Ewigkeit' on the other hand is a haunting and seductive electronic track that would sound very at home on a Peter Murphy record. 'Amboss' puts me in mind of a rather funky take on the Wax Trax records sound, though the vocals in the chorus do sound a little out of place. 'Estuanius' is a short pseudo-classical piece arranged on the synths with operatic vocals that would have made a nice intro to the album as well as a mid-track list interlude.

'Winter' is a wonderfully catchy experimental track, featuring strange loops and spoken vocals over a minimalist drum beat and melodic guitars, it is a strange mix and by far the most interesting track on the album. 'Nimmersatt' is a dancier number than the rest of the tracks, however what would be a great dance floor track is ultimately let down by a timid vocal performance that does rob it of some impact. Finally, the title track 'Solanum' brings the album to a close. Easily the most impressive track on the album, the band show they believe in the “save the best until last” philosophy - a slow and dark build up (much like the rest of the album) to a rockier ending and final slow outro. The track is once again only let down by some timid vocals that could have been saved with some double tracking or microphone FX.

For a free album this is good - it is a nice way to get acquainted with a band that produces some great dark pop music at no loss to the casual music fan. The only let down on this is the narrow scope of the vocals - on the very slow and haunting tracks their delivery is perfect, but the more up beat parts require something a little more suitable. But I think plenty of fans of New Wave/Synth Pop/Ambient Electronica will find something to like here.


Tracklist

1. First Shadow
2. Parasit
3. Ewigkeit
4. Amboss
5. Estuanius
6. Winter
7. Nimmersatt
8. Solanum


Line-up

Andreas Schirr
Sascha Kubath


Website

http://www.dieschatten.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/dieschattenband


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 7
Sound: 6
Extras: -
Total: 6.5 / 10

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