Search - Naomi :: Aquarium

Naomi
Aquarium
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, New Age, Pop

Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
1. Personal Big Bang
2. Gone
3. Another Bite of The Apple
4. Perfect Day In Hell
5. Relax She Said
6. Anything Can Change
7. Nothing
8. Needle On The Record
9. Just A Habit
10. How Many Loves
11. Sorry Mister Please
12. All I Need
13. I Am Here

CD Details

All Artists: Naomi
Title: Aquarium
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Mole Listening Pearl
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 11/7/2006
Album Type: Import
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, New Age, Pop
Styles: Electronica, Indie & Lo-Fi, Dance Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 807297077629

Synopsis

Album Description

Aquarium is the third album by Naomi, and perhaps their best one ever with more pop-sensibilities and is guaranteed to be intriguing as it is exciting. Not that their previous albums (Everyone Loves You, 2002, and Pappelallee, 2004) didn't get their share of jubilant reviews: The SÃ¼ddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's most respected dailies, described Naomi's sound as a "perfect balance between bittersweet harmonies and relaxed rhythms which seemed to be only the privilege of Air and the Pet Shop Boys"; the KulturSpiegel enthused about "elegant, dreamy but always modern electro pop"; and Rolling Stone gave them four stars - calling the duo, "fabulous". Then again, a band who made it onto more than 70 compilations worldwide must have something special, don't they? So now: Aquarium. As atmospherically engrossing as you'd expect, but by wholly new means. The duo abandons their earlier love of wide soundscapes and instead we get reduced, almost minimal arrangements, guitars and Wurlitzer piano, mellotron and sparse synthesizers over dry hip-hop beats. Instrumentals no longer; not "tracks", but quite traditionally structured songs, warranted hits. Bernd Lechler and Nico Tobias are fantastic songwriters and with Aquarium they've risen from the pigeonhole of downtempo music for good.

CD Reviews

Wow. Nice alternative pop gem.

M. K. Greene | St. Louis, MO | 03/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Really nice, alternative pop-like tunes but great lyrics, melodies, and production. I got this on a lark after scoring "Everyone Loves You", knowing it was quite different from the downtempo tunes on ELY, but willing to take a chance on it. Wow... I wasn't disappointed as this CD is really good in a completely different way.

The editorial review is correct in highlighting the move away from wide soundscapes on the earlier albums to more minimalist arrangements, but Naomi pulls it off and the tunes here are flat out great.

"Personal Big Bang" starts off with a great electronica intro and smart lyrics. "Gone" follows with a nice bass line and smooth melody. "Another Bite of the Apple" may be the best track musically, with a great arrangement - dark but groovin'. "Perfect Day in Hell" is my personal fav, because we've all been there. "Relax She Says" slows things down a bit (the whole album is mid-tempo so this isn't too distracting) before "Anything Can Change" which has some nice guitar work layered over what I'm now noticing as the 'Naomi groove'.

The rest of the CD is just as good with "Needle on the Record" standing out for me. All in all an outstanding surprise that I'll be enjoying for quite a while I'm sure. If you're looking for something outside the mainstream with a nice groove, smart lyrics, and new male vocals, this could be worth a listen.

"