Customer Reviews

Subkutan

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On the heels of '6 Feet Underground', a fairly dull album by their standards, De/Vision rebounded with a vengeance with the release of 'Subkutan'. Having previously heaped praised upon 1998's 'Monosex' as De/Vision's best, I am pleased to announce that 'Subkutan' now has that distinction.

All of the elements the band has been experimenting with since 1999's 'Void' (an album which has been unfairly criticized)have come together on this latest release. Some of the catchy pop-sound of their earlier work is present, but with a rough edge, which gives the sound a grittier, "dirtier" feel, which I personally dig.

Some professed fans can't seem to handle change, but it is natural for a band to change as it matures. For instance, could one imagine if Depeche Mode continued to crank out songs like "Just Can't Get Enough?" I would guarantee they wouldn't have created a masterpiece like 'Violator' 9 years later.

Having said that, I'll cease pontificating and get to the review: "Subtronic" is a kicker to start the album, with it's dance club/rock sound. Although lacking the traditional verse-chorus formula, and much in the way of lyrics in general, the track is well done. Many fans of the genre might not like to hear this, but it "rocks."

"The End" is a terrific dance track. Although it has taken some criticism for its lyrics, it's a cathartic song for anyone who has ever been felt jaded or been jilted.

Since purchasing 'Subkutan', I have listened mostly to "Star-Crossed Lovers". It intrigues me. One of the slower tracks, its hypnotic soundscapes and dirty rhythms, coupled with a building tension toward a killer finale, makes it irresistibly listenable. It is similar to "Sadness" on 'Two'.

Perhaps the most radio-friendly tracks on the album, "Addict" and "Obey Your Heart" are two excellent songs. "Addict" is a mid-tempo pop song, while "Obey Your Heart" is more club-friendly. In fact "Obey Your Heart" is quite infectious, while "Addict" is, well... forgive me, addictive. "Still Unknown" could be counted as radio-friendly, but is not quite as creative as the two aforementioned tracks. The verse is fairly monotone, but there is a good chorus.

"No Tomorrow" is a philosophical debate put to a slow beat, with beautiful lyrics and music.

"E-Shock" is a club track, which I like, but something is lacking, though I'm not sure what it is. Others have praised this song, however.

"My Own Worst Enemy" is a well-written confessional of mediocrity, and has really hit an emotional chord personally. The same might be said of "Not Made of Gold." Although not as good musically as the first seven tracks, they are quality songs that might have been singles on other albums.

"Summer Sun" is a laid-back tune which I have to be in the mood for, and "In Dir" is a rare German track which I might like more if I knew German.

Culminating with a nice remix of "Subtronic", 'Subkutan' displays a fine range of ability reminiscent of all the band's previous efforts. The only downside is, can De/Vision top this? Probably. After all, I didn't think they would top "Monosex" either.

I don't care what the older fans say in their complaints, a band who doesn't evolve just gets less interesting. Which is why "Subkutan" is such a great record, possibly my favorite from De/Vision. All 12 songs are great, or 13 if you include the remix of "Subtronic," a song that starts to get you movin'. There's some sort of industrial moments, like "Addict" which sounds like what Skinny Puppy may sound like if they added melody and listened to Depeche Mode. Some songs build to their climaxes, like "Star-Crossed Lovers." My other favorite moments are "E-Shock," which is musically fascinating, "Still Unkonwn," and "My Own Worst Enemy." Listen to it with an open mind; you'll get into it. They can't be a junior-Depeche Mode all the time, and they realize they're above a tribute band, which is why an album such as "Subkutan" was made. Not my absolute favorite of the year but probably in my top 10 for then.

I admit: this is a band that can do almost no wrong in my eyes. I love almost everything they do, and Subkutan is no exception. The sound doesn't stray too far from 6 Feet Underground, but it has a slightly more organic, grittier feel reminiscent of Void or Two.

There are a few surprises here, too. "Subtronic" and "E-Shock" are quasi-instrumental dancefloor killers. In "Subtronic" Steffen repeatedly sings "we gonna rock you right," and that they do. "E-Shock" is unlike anything they've done before. It's almost straight up trance - but done De/Vision style! The closing track "Summer Sun," on the other hand, is the closest thing to a chillout track they've ever done. Another thing to note is that many of the tracks ignore traditional song structure. You'll hear verse-verse-chorus-chorus, verse-refrain1-refrain2, etc. There were signs of this on 6FU ("Beside You"), but now it's much more prevalent.

My current favorite tracks are probably "Not Made of Gold," "Still Unknown" (this album's "Unputdownable"), and "Star-Crossed Lovers." Honestly, though, I love this album from beginning to end. My least favorite track is "In Dir," which is sung in German. The music is cool, but I like to sing along to music I love and my German is very limited.

Subkutan should definitely please fans of their newer stuff as well as fans of their Void-era sound. In a large and incredible discography, this is one of their best!

Wow - glad I discovered this group! This is one of the few CDs I've heard that I liked start to finish. Although some songs are better than others, all have appeal and even the slower songs (especially "No Tomorrow") are thought-provoking and haunting.

Regarding the earlier criticism of "E-Shock" as "just plain bad," the writer must not be familiar with Kraftwerk, the German group credited with launching the electronic age. Although one of my less favorite songs on the CD, "E-shock" is still a dead-on imitation of Kraftwerk's uber-computerized sound.

I downloaded this in conjunction with music by two other groups (Mesh and Camouflage), yet this was the one I find myself going back to repeatedly. Well done.

In this age, I'm finding myself less and less attracted to my once beloved synthpop music. Now days, the ones that keep me holding on are the musicians who are constantly working against the norm. De/Vision, and their latest album, are good examples of synth music that sets itself apart from the usual dance floor standards. Anyone these days with a half decent computer can make a chill out tune or pumping dance song.
But D/V has spent nearly two decades exploring their options with electronic music, and the results have never let me down. Subkutan is a nice, eclectic mix of songs which as a whole remind me of why I like synth music in the first place.
Lyrically, the album can be really good, and perhaps a little silly in a few places. That may make or break a song for some, but I haven't let simple or silly lyrics like "c'mon move it when I'm on the mic..." or "you make me puke..." have any kind of negative impact on the music. Actually, I kind of embrace them, as they help in setting the album apart from the crowd, plus they're just plain fun, anyhow.
Since one person's favorite tune will inevitably be another's least favorite, I won't go into the "best" tracks on here, but as a whole, the album never bores me, the best parts of it sending chills down my spine. I'm glad De/Vision hasn't given up their creative drive in favor of having a more marketable sound.

Ever since I had the pleasure of seeing De/vision in concert earlier this year, I have started to buy their previous albums. My latest De/vision purchase is their 2006 release SUBKUTAN. While NOOB remains my favorite De/vision album, SUBKUTAN is still good and superior to VOID (my previous De/vision purchase). My biggest flaw with the album is the inclusion of remixes. I am not convinced that they were necessary. They weren't bad but they didn't do anything for me. I really couldn't tell each remix from each other. Remixes aside, I enjoy SUBKUTAN immensely. I thought the music is a precursor to what to expect on NOOB. Songs like "No Tomorrow" and "Still Unknown" shared some of the laid back synthpop beats and haunting lyrics that permeated NOOB. There were a couple of tracks that I had to listen to a few times for them to grow on me like "Addict" and "The End". The melodies were a bit too sparse for me initially. I also enjoyed the drum and bass influenced "E-Shock". The skittish electronic beats proves that De/vision isn't strictly synthpop. SUBKUTAN may not be completely flawless but I find the album quite satisfying to listen to.

A friend of mine introduced me this album. When I heard their first song, Subtronic, I was shocked 'couse its beat, feel like the beat of the Crystal Method(I'm actually attracted by TCM more than any other Break/Big Beat...)And I think DE/VISION has its own style enough to attract more listeners including the most popular electronic styles such as Big Beat, Ambient, Downtempo or Synth-Pop, etc. I felt those kinds of beat from this Subkutan. I don't know well about them, De/Vision, but I plan to have their another album. At last, I especially recommend you to listen track1,3,4,5,8,10,12 and last but not list track13...You can feel fully and desperately the Electronica...^.~

First, I'm a major De/Vision fan so it was with great care that I waited until I gave this album a review. On one hand there are some down right FANTASTIC songs on this album, then there is the ohhhhhh so close and then there are the WHAT?
One of this bands strong points is that it has always been able to write really strong lyrics, what happened on some of this?

FANTASTIC:
Star Crossed Lovers (So un-De/Vision and yet so enjoyable)
Obey Your Heart (This albums "I'm not dreaming of you" but much more up-tempo)
No Tomorrow - true shades of old De/Vision
Still Unkonw - Simply Pure Pop and Excellent
In Dir - Even with the German Vocals its a great song
My Own Worst Enemy - WHAT A SONG! This albums best in my opinion
Not Made of Gold - Great Great Song - This albums "Unputdownable"

Okay now for the ohhh so close:
THE END: What were they thinking? This song is so good on so many levels but I can't make it fantastic because some of the lyrics are just plain bad. For instance (You make me puk, I can't stand your stupid face" ????) thats not good writing, or "You make me sick"????. Guys come on. If you had just not put those 3 lines in this song and thought it through a little more it would be THE song on the album. To bad

Then there is the WHAT?
Subtronic - Waste of CD space
Addict - ?????
E-Shock - Just plain bad
Summer Sun - Nice try, boring

I wanted so bad to give this album 5 stars but I just can't.

Liked the first couple of tracks, and when it comes to download vs CD ... if I like more than one song, chances are I'll like the rest and buy the cd. While this formula has worked well for me in the past, I should have just bought those tracks through amazon or itunes.

The biggest problem I have with Subkutan is that it's just so dang boring. This genre of music has always been largely driven by catchy, hit-calibre singles, and even the real masters departed from that only in the sense that they surrounded their hit-calibre singles with smoothly integrated album tracks that elevated the entire CD to a something like a symphony; a coherent whole.

Here, though--almost all of the songs sound like b-sides that were abandoned because they didn't do enough. The closest thing to a dance-floor anthem is "The End", although it's not really ideal for that role, and a number of tracks compete to overcome the general mediocrity of the album and rise to the level of "great ballad."

But overall, the album was more likely to put me to sleep than anything else.