Search - Wir Sind Helden :: Soundso (Chi)

No such thing as bad sex, bad pizza, or a bad Helden track.

William C. Haverberg | Minneapolis, MN | 07/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is no such thing as bad sex, bad pizza, or a bad Helden track. The third album by the multi-award winning German group Wir Sind Helden changes tack from their first two albums, being more rock, less indie, more danceable. The energy level remains high through all but the last 3 tracks (which are more contemplative & bluesy).



(If you haven't listened to Wir Sind Helden before, please please please please listen to "Guten Tag" [Die Reklamation], and "Nur Ein Wort" [Von Hier an Blind] - there are clips and full videos on their website wirsindhelden.com, or you can find the vids on youtube).



Some performers sleepwalk through their albums, yawning their way through to the good tracks. This is not the case with Wir Sind Helden, where each track shows signs of dilligent attention, and just at that point where you think you know where a song is going, a new chord or change in tempo, a change in voice, or a series of unexpected, magical notes are dropped in to keep your interest level high.



Because this is the first American review for the CD on amazon.com, I checked the amazon.de page comments (the German version of Amazon) - I've only been collecting music for a couple of years, so I'm still feeling my way around what is good "Deutchrock". The consensus opinion there for Soundso was that it was a "solid" album with great lyrics, but that the album may need repeated play to fully appreciate and enjoy - understandable given that its a departure from the first two albums. I also was slightly disappointed the first few times I listened, ready for another "Guten Tag", "Nur Ein Wort", or "Die Zeit Hielt Allen Wunder". This changed over time, however, and some of the tracks I at first hated have now become among my favorites. The German reviewers in amazon.de gave the album 4 stars overall, but this is truly misleading. The vast majority gave 5 stars, but around 15 or 20 percent were disappointed in it not being "the same" as the earlier albums, or thought the band had "sold out" to least common denominator-style popular taste ala "Silbermond". This may not be the same style as the others, but the passion, attention to detail, and slightly sweet and upbeat style carries it through. With the exception of not having a stand out hit such as "Nur Ein Wort", I would rate this one as better than their 2nd album "Von Hier on Blind".



I'm still groping about trying to wrap my head around the various German styles, but from my limited knowledge I think they're close to Juli, Kettcar, and perhaps Christina Stuermer. When they get heavy on the synth I also hear a bit of Klee.



Pros: High energy, good attention to detail, interesting lyrics (if you understand German), and rewards repeated listening.



Cons: The dreaded German love for drowning voice and instrument under a wall of noise - perhaps this is driven by an innate insecurity within the German music community? - anyways, Wir Sind Helden had skirted this trap over the first two albums, but it is now creeping back in with a few of the tracks, particularly near the front of the album. Judith's voice also came across as a bit reedy and restrained.



There are no standout hits like "Guten Tag", "Denkmal", or "Nur Ein Wort". However, several of the tracks are very catchy and tend to stay with you, and there are no truly bad tracks. You could listen all the way through without having to skip.



My favorite tracks: (note: I haven't read the lyrics yet so just going on how they sound)

(Ode) An die Arbeit -- At first I hated this, but it is a truly infectious happy-sounding song.

Soundso -- The song stays with you, although there are better

Kaputt -- My favorite. I can't say why, its just so interesting and varied.

Labyrinth -- Everytime you think you've figured the song out, it throws something new and wonderful in your path.

The Geek (shall Inherit) -- another song that stays with you, but it can be a bit repetitive.

Endlich ein Grund zur Panik -- I wasn't big on this until I saw the video. Now it makes me smile.

Stiller -- A nice, quiet piece

Lass uns verschwinden -- another wonderful quiet one



(You can reach me at haverber@visi.com if you wish to talk about my review; overly aggressive spam filtering may have blocked any earlier contacts)

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Let me explain why I give this only 4 stars

Thomas B. Gross | Winchester, MA USA | 11/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I think Wir Sind Helden, or more specifically, Judith Holofernes is the most talented musician/song-writer since Bob Dylan, but I can only give this album 4 stars on account of the rather overbearing production work done to these songs. I did not really appreciate much of this new material until I stumbled upon "unplugged" versions on the internet. The song "So und So" for example, is a really great song in its accoustic version but barely tolerable with the studio sound piled on top of it on this album. It's really a shame.



That being said, I think "Kaputt" may very well be Judith's finest creation to date. Simply sublime lyrics. I wonder if the German publikum really understands how talented and important Wir Sind Helden really is, or for that matter if even they themselves realize how good they are. Their music, and most of all her lyrics, is a secret locked inside the German language, waiting to be discovered by the outside world."

Really, really good sound

Glenn Yates | Nashville, TN USA | 08/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I rarely review music, and when I do I can only tell you why I personally like or don't like something, not whether or not it is technically good. Caveats out of the way, I like Soundso and I like it a lot. At first I'd put it third behind their other two cd's- I probably still would, in fact- but it's growing on me. There are a couple of clever videos- they do some really great pop videos that are worth catching out on the world wide web.



Their music is basic German pop- very catchy, very upbeat but with enough of an edge to keep it from being syrupy. The band has a bit of a sense of humor, and the Frontfrau is very easy on the eyes, or sehr huebsch as they might say.



All the songs are fair to very good, a couple they explore using other vocalists more than they have in the past. "Die Konkurrenz" I liked a lot, although I haven't really grasped what it's about yet. I usually have to read the lyrics before I can understand what's going on. I also liked "The Geek"- they're all kind of poppy, and maybe not quite as hooky as stuff from Reklamation or von Hier an Blind, but very fun. Maybe not a home run, but certainly a solid triple. Judith sings like an angel, and I get a new crush on her every album. I realize that doesn't help my objectivity any, or my credibility, but I think you can probably still like her voice without gettin giddy over her."