Odd Nosdam is a musician, DJ and co-founder of Bay Area label/collective Anticon. Odd Nosdam has released albums under his name and as a member of cLOUDDEAD, worked with artists like Mike Patton and TV on the Radio, and remixed bands including The Notwist.
Germany's The Notwist began in 1989 as hardcore,...More
Odd Nosdam is a musician, DJ and co-founder of Bay Area label/collective Anticon. Odd Nosdam has released albums under his name and as a member of cLOUDDEAD, worked with artists like Mike Patton and TV on the Radio, and remixed bands including The Notwist.
Germany's The Notwist began in 1989 as hardcore, dreadlocked punks, similar to the grunge bands who were gaining so much notoriety in the US. Over time, however, they began experimenting with electronic elements. By 2002, their release Neon Golden showcased a classic sense of melody that was set apart from the pack because of its omnipresent and meticulously-honed electronic textures. The Notwist that appears on their 1990 debut could not be more different that the Notwist of Neon Golden.
In the town of Weilheim in Oberbayern, Germany (near Munich), brothers Markus (vocals, guitar) and Micah (bass) Acher formed The Notwist with drummer Martin Messerschmidt. Their self-titled debut came out in 1990 on Subway Records. Their third album, 12 (1995, Big Store), was the first time they flirted with electronics, but they were most certainly more of an alternative band, thanks to the songwriting styles of Marcus Acher.
In 1997, The Notwist acquired a new member, keyboardist and programming wizard Martin Gretschmann, aka Console. A fourth full-length, Shrink, surfaced in 1998 and was even more infused with electronic textures, thanks to the presence of Gretschmann. After some side project work, the group came together for the painstaking recording process that would produce Neon Golden. The album would take 15 months to record.
Neon Golden was released in 2002 on Domino. Reviews for the album were unlike anything the band had experienced before. Marcus' lyrics and gentle singing style earned praise for how well they complimented the fragmented, and often unsettling compositions. In other places, the music would be pleasant, perhaps even triumphant, and Marcus would kill the momentum with sad, mournful lyrics. Critics raved about these juxtapositions, but what really stands out about the album is the way Gretschmann adds flourishes that crop up in the mix, then fade away, never to reappear in the song. A table scratch here, a heavily distorted drum sequence there, and throughout it all, there are his subtle landscapes, which enhance and highlight the work of Messerschmidt and the Acher brothers.
The band toured for about a year and a half after Neon Golden. They then spent two years on a break from The Notwist, working on other projects. The new album would ultimately take two years to record, an even longer amount of time than its predecessor. In June, they put out their long-awaited, long-labored over sixth album, The Devil, You + Me (2008, Domino).
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