EBM lover
Melissa | New York | 08/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Namnambulu is such a GREAT band. The lyrics are incredible, plus, the powerful vocals and music make for a great experience. The first time I heard them, was at a club in NY. The DJ played Now or Never, everyone rushed to dance to that song and I have been sold ever since! I have both Distances and Expansion and love them both. I think Deception and Beaten are by far my favorate. Beaten such a powerful song. Anyone who likes the depth of Assemblege 23, VNV Nation will like this group. I would recommend them to anyone. I have had these cds since they came out and will never get sick of them!"
If He Has Ever Been Above, Then He Must Truly Be Asleep...
TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 02/16/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Namnambulu is one of the more interesting bands that I've totally overlooked until recently - much to my listening dismay. I'd heard of them, sure, and I had bypassed them, and I'd done so partially because of the way they were presented. I'm not a fan of band comparisons, using them sometimes if the coinage fits but not really liking my shopping targeted because I drift in and out of music genres, and I normally ignore them. That was the case with Namnambulu, who I'd initially spotted on Amazon while shopping and ignored because the recommendation was given because of VNV Nation. I suppose I can see where that comes from now, with the dancefloor flavoring coming out, but I can also see how that might put some people off because there are no other VNV Nations. Much like that comparison hurt Pride and Fall (another underrated act), this comparison doesn't do any good for a like Namnambulu. Still, it wasn't a "labelling," but rather who discovered them. Hmmm. So, to Namnambulu:
Namnambulu is something of a "newer band" when it comes to international flavor, with them "popping up" in around 2002. They've done pretty well overseas, hitting in some places decently well and touring a bit, but they haven't exactly managed to "kick it up" in the American domestic market. That's somewhat of a shame too, because they do all the things that one would like from their EBM. They craft quality beats, they kick in messages that have impact, carry an array of introspective/ exterior topics ranging from becoming something to hurting without love, and they have great talent in the vocal department. In some respects they remind me of nothing I've ever listened to in the vocals, with a voice that stands out in a somewhat off-key manner (singing in E-minor?) and still has the capacity to convey emotions, and that's good in the crowded electronic arena. Its something of a different sound when you take and add it to the beats, merging into something that is quite taking and enjoyable.
As far as tracks go, the album is pretty solid. I caught "Apart" in an offbeat fashion, it being the only really slow song on the album and not really representative of the work as a whole, and I found myself moved by it. It almost seemed to plead within the beauty it manufactured, and that made me want to hear more.
"Now or Never," downloaded from Amazon, was the second track I tried on and it gave me another taste and I'm quite fond of it. It presents what Namnambulu does quite a bit, running amok on the dancefloor with EBM stylization, and it also has a meaning internalized within the flow. "If he has ever been above, then he must truly be asleep." That's good stuff.
"Surviving" is also a great track, with the vocals and the beat merging into a stellar motion that makes the body want to move, and I'd perhaps say that checking out "Guardian Angel" and "Beaten" would round-out what the album offers up.
These songs are simply highlighted, mind you, and the selection isn't meant to imply that they are better/worse than anything else on the work. I found it moving as a whole, loving the vocal work more than anything, and well worth picking up. There are 4 tracks available via Amazon as of right now, so you can acquire whole songs and see what you think.
Regardless, it comes highly touted!
"
Pop VNV Nation
Erik Gfesser | Lombard, IL United States | 09/27/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Swiss act Namnambulu consists of two individuals, Henrik Iversen and Vasi Vallis, but unfortunately, the band split up shortly after this 2004 release, with Iversen starting Sonic Decoy. Chances are that you have never heard of Namnambulu, because while their "Alone" release reached #53 on the Deutsche Alternative Charts just months before their dissolvement, they never reached the American market to any significant degree (although their work is still under rotation on alternative music radio on the web). In addition, Namnambulu albums are still only available as German imports, although the MP3 format is obviously an option, especially if you want to get a feel for their music before diving in and purchasing a CD ("Distances" is currently almost-$30). This album is one of the few albums this reviewer has run across in recent memory that is void of filler tracks, and while "Memories", "Answers" and "Ignorance" are the tracks currently being played on alternative music radio on the web, "Beaten" in the opinion of this reviewer is one of the obvious standouts, with two haunting refrains: "He doesn't love you / He doesn't understand / How much he hurts you / You live at his command / And he will never be able to give you the love that you need" and "He doesn't trust you / The way that you deserve / Just when he wants you / You're there for him to serve / He really thinks he is giving you love every time that you bleed". While Namnambulu has a style all their own, and their influences are varied, Tommy Richardson of Neurozine perhaps described this album best when he wrote that "it's a bit like what VNV Nation would sound like if they were pop, and that's maybe not so strange since it was Ronan Harris from VNV Nation who discovered the band and made sure they got signed"."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1