Search - De, Vision :: Monosex

A Must-Have for All Fans of the Genre!

Wayneman | CA, USA | 11/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An ardent fan of Depeche Mode since 1984, and a fan of the synthpop/industrial scene in general, I discovered De/Vision in 1998 when a friend of mine made a cassette for me which included 'We Fly... Tonight.' I was instantly hooked and frantically sought out "Monosex", but found "Zehn" instead. While "Zehn" covered De/Vision's earlier works, "Monosex" ushered in a new era in the band's creativity. Instead of sounding eerily similar to their German contemporaries Camouflage, the release of "Monosex" showed that the band had come of age as a talented force on the dark synthpop stage. Often compared to Depeche Mode, De/Vision stand on their own merit as talented songwriters, lyricists (yes, in crystal clear English), and musicians. Now to "Monosex":



To award five stars to this work is a no-brainer, and I am confident most fans are with me. A catchy rhythm and a stomping bass line immediately draw the listener in to the subtly (or not-so-subtly) blasphemous 'God is Blind', a song whose lyrics I personally take issue with, but a very powerful song nonetheless. Consider 'God is Blind' as 'Blasphemous Rumours' with a little more oomph!



Spiritual disillusionment permeates the album, but doesn't overpower it. This work, though sprinkled with delicious moments of melancholy, maintains enough variety to hold the listener's attention until the very end. Perhaps the best track on the album, but with little radio appeal, is 'We Might Be One For a Day', a song set to a lullaby rhythm, yet with painful lyrics that create an irony of innocence coupled with disturbing psychology. When Steffen laments the chorus, "Feel the pain deep inside" the listener feels it.



'Back in My Life' and 'Heart of Stone' are two other tracks that cut almost as deep as the aforementioned track, but are set to a more dance-friendly beat. The irony still exists, but this time it is not quite as gut-wrenching.



But tragedy and regret are not the only themes on "Monosex". On the lighter side, the utterly danceable 'We Fly... Tonight' raises the pulse of the album significantly and is truly one of their best songs on any album, rivalling, dare I say, any of Depeche Mode's club-friendly tunes.



'Slaves to Passion' is good, old-fashioned, 80's dance electronica, but avoids the common cliches and delivers a polished, yet slightly dark sound, pleasing to any purist. 'Here Me Calling', an intended single, that never became one, should be mentioned here, because is possesses many of the same qualities as 'We Fly...Tonight' and 'Slaves to Passion'. However, while many fans express a love for this song, I feel it creeps a little too close to the formulaic "cheese" factor that has plagued many bands of this genre. The simple keyboard melody underlying the lyrics is a little annoying, and forgive me, reminds me a little of Men Without Hats' remix of 'Safety Dance'. But, if one considers it a slight diversion into 80's nostalgia, I can understand the appeal, as it's still a pretty good song.



'Deliver Me', 'Drifter' and 'New Drug' are not simply filler tracks. Each is unique and enhances the overall product by providing variety in mood, tempo and message. The pleading 'Deliver Me' and 'New Drug' contrast beautifully with the 'Little 15'-esque 'Drifter'. 'Shoreline' is a sinister instrumental which invokes images of Tiki statues and wild, isolated beaches.



A track that truly stands alone with its industrial-inspired sound is 'Strange Affection', one of my absolute favorites. An ominous, driving beat provides the perfect backdrop for the opening lyrics, "Give me your bright white eyes that I might see, the blackness of a narrow-minded flea" Perhaps the line that rings most true is, "How deep must you fall down to understand, that selfishness is always built on sand?"



As much as I still enjoy De/Vision, some 7 years after the release of "Monosex", I can say with assured confidence that it is De/Vision's own "Violator". It's just too bad that most people still have never heard them. This is an album that rivals my beloved Depeche Mode in scope, ambition, and pure musical talent. I would be hard-pressed to give a stronger endorsement to any other work.



"

De/vision's Masterpiece

Gameshark | Motown | 12/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Throughout the 80s, Depeche Mode perfected a unique sound of music, encapsulated in their classic CD's "Black Celebration," "Music for the Masses" and "Violator." Sadly, they also departed somewhat from their trademark sound to experiment (with mixed success) in other fields, but the classic Depeche Mode sound is so compelling, that we've had a number of other bands come in and try to use it as well, and tweak it somewhat to make it their own, including early imitators Red Flag, Cause & Effect, Seven Red Seven and Camouflage.



One of the most successful and enduring of those imitators was De/vision. They got a bit of a late start; not really releasing anything until the synthboom was kinda over and done with in most of the world, and they've considered themselves primarily a German band playing for a German market. "Monosex" is their fifth album, released in 1998, and in my opinion, is quite probably their most successful and well done; I consider it to be their true masterpiece, which they've yet to equal in the five CDs that have been released since. The sound here is extremely conservative; despite the 1998 release date, this CD reminds me strongly of Depeche Mode circa 1990, although with more muted guitar sounds.



The sound is dark and biting; these are songs of pain, bitterness, frustration and isolation--common themes that any Depeche Mode imitator worth his salt needs to get used to. There's a few moments of slightly lighter tones here and there, in songs like "We Fly... Tonight", while more "traditional" themes are explored in tracks like "Here Me Calling," "Strange Affection", "Deliver Me", "Drifter" and, well, and most of the rest of the album. "God is Blind" even takes a jab at organized religion.



Standout tracks for me include danceable classics like "We Fly... Tonight," "Strange Affection" and "Here Me Calling" (all scheduled for single releases, although the "Here Me Calling" single never really materialized) and "Slaves to Passion", while the slower, emotional ballads "Deliver Me, "We Might Be One For a Day" and "Drifter" are hyper-powerful. Then again, none of the tracks on this CD are throwaways, though. It is highly recommended. The only place where the CD occasionally stumbles are with the lyrics and delivery; it's quite obvious at times that De/Vision are not native English speakers, and that they also didn't get one to review their lyrics and pronunciations before releasing this; occasional lyrics are either awkwardly phrased or poorly delivered.



The Import version of this CD comes with two bonus tracks, both remixes of "We Fly... Tonight." The first is a guitar-heavy version, while the second is remixed by the band's producer, José Alvarez-Brill, so it doesn't sound miles away from the De/Vision sound. If you can, I also recommend tracking down the other remixes from this era, particularly those done by Mesh (not coincidentally, the other great Depeche Mode imitator still going) of "Strange Affection" and "Hear Me Calling.""