KINGS of SUBURBIA ~ Super Deluxe

by ANDREW BRAWL

To see THe Full set, click an image ; )

by ANDREW BRAWL

(23.03.2015)

Album Review: “Kings of Suburbia” by Tokio Hotel

Just like fashion, music and bands we listen to can become extremely personal, especially if we discover the musicians ourselves. Tokio Hotel has always been this kind of band for me and a million other people. On the top of their success, after touring Asia, America and even playing few shows in London, you would have thought that nothing can stop this band. And nothing did, they’ve stopped themselves. Taking a break for 4 years, the band despaired. With no music, videos, and no sign of life.

The album ‘Kings of Suburbia ‘ debuted at number 1 in 20 countries of Europe including Germany, France and Poland, also having the album in top 10 charts with its arrival only on October 3. Looks like those German super stars are heading for another massive success. The band that had their debut album ‘Schrei’ (eng. Scream) in 2005 took over the whole Europe and caused a massive hysteria in teenagers as well as the adults.

With having the rock pop, Scream and electro pop, Humanoid, Tokio Hotel worked with many different genres of music but for ‘Kings of Suburbia’ the band decided go into completely different direction than with their previous albums. Spending 4 years on creating the current record, the band have developed their production style, music sound and image.

“Kings of Suburbia” is a mix of different genres that the band has worked with over the years, this included alternative rock, pop rock and electronic pop, all combined together to create this album. And it sounds nothing like their previous records. As the twin brothers, the lead singer Bill Kaulitz and guitarist, of the band, Tom Kaulitz, spent the last few years in Los Angeles, shutting down from the music industry, their time off has influenced this album a lot. And mostly it was LA’s nightlife. Most of the song lyrics where written by the whole band, but the responsibility of producing went to Tom Kaulitz for the first time since their debut almost 10 years ago. With recording the live instruments, later mixed on the computer creating the sound of the “KOS” album. It was defiantly an album that was created from start to finish by the whole band, it can be heard.

“Strobe lights, flashing out of your eyes, I could feel you all night, I won’t let you down” Quite poetic, romantic and touch deep, the song is called “Feel it All” after all. Being it the bands upcoming and 4th single of their newest album, the catchy song with slow beat, it’s an ultimate party song, ideal for a club night (especially the remixed versions).

The following song was a bit different “Stormy Weather” is bit heavier, with synchronized voice of the vocalist, Bill Kaulitz, the first part of the song lyrically makes sense “I can’t breathe in, I can’t breathe out cause the air fading. We can’t breathe in can’t breathe out, we are suffocating.” However looks like the boys spent all their energy on the first few verses of the song as the chorus is structured out of Bill’s synchronized voice, “It’s a stormy weather.” Repeated 10 times, very poetic but at least it’s catchy.

And as we are on the subject of poetic “Run Run Run” is a slow ballad, featuring only piano and the lead singers heartbroken voice, say whatever you want this men can sing. This song reminds me of the original Tokio Hotel music style and lyrics, full of meaning and organic music. For those of you who like ballads this song is the one for sure!

“Love Who Loves You Back” on the other hand gives me mixed feelings not so much musically but more of lyrically. “Is it sneak in your bed” Are they being serious? And the music video to this song is even more sexual than anyone thought, but let’s face it these musicians aren’t 15 anymore, however going from the innocent music videos that was pure about music and not controversy to a music video that is so similar to almost every other artist in the music industry in one go, made everyone talk. But despise the music video the song is surely one of those that can listened to over and over again.

Another love song from the album is “Covered in Gold” from my hearing it’s the most produced song from the studio the Tokio Hotel’s history, however it’s one of these songs that the more it’s listened to, more it’s catching. I find the meaning behind it quite interesting, just because some is rich and famous it doesn’t mean they can have everything, and love is one of those things for sure.

And just like “Stormy Weather” this song in the chorus is quite respective, and my quite I mean a lot, I mean by 16 times in row of “Girl Got A Gun” with a occasional “Bang Bang”. Girl got a gun, I think we get it. Is this song about women’s empowerment? It sure sounds like it. Being this the song that was one of the first releases from the album (with rather disturbing music video) many fans of the band got bored with, some are still loyal listeners. It was a song that was the loudest during their “Feel it All Tour: The Club Experience” tour in Islington Assembly Hall concert few weeks ago. I would call this song as one of those that just wants you to get up and dance.

Another hit in our opinion is “Kings of Suburbia.” This song that the album is named after a prayer has typical pop rock sound. We are loving the royal theme to the title of it. I would call it the classic Tokio Hotel song, with the beat of a drum, sound of an electric guitar, deep sound of a bass and backing vocals of the whole band. It clearly has a team effort in it. “We are the kings and queens of suburbia. Somewhere in time we don’t know where we are” the lyrical mix of kings and queen, which looks like it’s meant to be represent luxury and suburbia that looks like it represents the not so high life, is a song of the album that could be interpreted in so many ways. And we are loving it. Because that’s what music meant to do, it meant to be personal.

Another song from “Kings of Suburbia” that was inspired by the clubbing scene and nights out was “We Found Us”. “ We sound us, us, in this club, club. We found us, us. It hurts but it feels right” it looks like the band had bit too much fun while making this album, if such a thing is possible of course. We like the mix of the pop sounding mixed with the guitars and drums that create an ideal beat for this song that is so easy to listen to day to day bases but it can for sure used in a club.

If heavy songs are not necessarily your taste and you like to cry a little while listing to the music, this song is the one! “Invaded” was written about a relative of Kaulitz twins who passed away. Another piano ballad that proves that the lead singer can sing and has great voice when not mixed on a computer. Very pure, with moving lyrics “Dead with all the pain we shared. Dead with all the glory we had. It’s over” This song is one of favourites for its simplicity. Who said the music needs to be full of different instruments and musical sounds engineering. Keep it simple.

“Never Let You Down” is quite a chaotic song, probably one of the most chaotic ones from the album. With the remixed guitar of Tom Kaulitz, drums of Gustav Schafer and keyboards played by Dave Roth and Patrick Benzner, this song is yet another song that unlike from the other records, that will make you want to get up and dance. As satiated by the lead singer, Bill Kaulitz, this song is inspired by the bands experience with fake people, and as we all know in the entertainment industry there are few for sure. “No, I’ll never let you, down, you down” the lyrics say for themselves that we should never let people down.

“Louder Than Love” is the last song for the standard album version of the album. The song is meant to share the message that is clear and simple, and quite cliché when it comes to music, but let’s face it, it’s the most important thing. “Nothing’s louder than love” is simply sending the message that we all know. The sound of it, is another experimentation that is the result of the 4 years of studio time of the Tokio Hotel boys. I would categorize it as pop song with few rock sounds, that is catchy and easy to listen.

“To the people in the new world. Haven’t you heard everybody’s got a great life, we’re livin’ in a blur.” The opening few lines of the 12th song of the album called “Masquerade” is a quite calm song but it isn’t a ballad with remixed guitar solo and the end of the song, with rhythmic drums and bass this song is very much based on today’s culture of internet, texting and hiding behind a computer screen. “In time, we hide, in our masquerade of heroes” is a metaphor of how an internet can change who we really are comparing to who we are in real life. It’s a honest and truthful message, as I’m sure we can all agree that nothing is always the same as it appears online.

The first thing we hear at the beginning of “Dancing in The Dark” is a steady rhythm of electric guitar, a classic soft rock solo, but later it ideally progressed unto a mixture of house music mixed with drums, bass and the lead singers voice signing another love lyrics “Dancing in the dark, to cure my heart”. I’m not sure how dancing in the dark could cure a heart but this over 3 minute song is lyrically quite impressive comparing the their over 2 English albums. It’s not another dance song and it’s surely not just another typical popular song. Cleverly mixed music generals makes this song quite interesting and unique. If you are sick of hearing the same music genres over and over again, listing to this song.

Looks like the 5th album of these German rockers is full of party anthems and personal lyrics. The song is starting off softly but finishes with a bang! With the rhythmic beat of the drum and the sound engineering that just wants you to get up and weave your hands in the air, it give away such a clubbing feeling to it. In my opinion “The Heart Get No Sleep” is one of these songs that can be listened over and over again, the sound of it is a unique combination between rock music and pop. “I’m fallin’ in the feels like flyin’ ” I’m sure many fans of the band where falling the feels when hearing this album.

The last and final song of the album is “Great Day” and I think there wouldn’t be a better one to close the album playlist. Starting off with rhythmic bass of Georg Listing, and the vocalist, Bill Kaulitz soft voice singing the first lines “Yeah my heart is open and my eyes are swollen” with lyrics like these no wonder these 4 guys won over hearts of thousands of fans. “Great Day” is yet another song that is kept pure, without any huge computer changes done to it, with deep and meaningful lyrics such as “It’s a great day to say goodbye, it’s ok cause, I’ll be alright” quite uplifting words if you ask me. It maybe to a great day to say goodbye but this is a great song to end the album with. Overall, “Kings of Suburbia” isn’t clearly an album that blends in with the other pop/rock albums out there. It’s ideal mix of the old Tokio Hotel sound with the music that is currently popular without sounding the same.

– original article

(04.01.2015)

Tokio Hotel – Kings of Suburbia

Tokio Hotel is a German band that I’ve been a fan of since about two years before their second English release. They pop in and out of the limelight, but always put out music that seems to be a few years ahead of its time. Their newest album, Kings of Suburbia, unsurprisingly falls into that definition: an album that is far more pop than alternative. With every listen, it’s clear that this group has been spending the years since their previous release refining a sound that is absolutely, unmistakably Tokio Hotel.

Continuing in the same synth-laden thread as Humanoid, Tokio Hotel has refined their pop sensibilities into an album that pushes the limits of what previous fans may enjoy, but also allows them to engage with a whole new group of fans that were previously inaccessible. In doing this, it demonstrates their tremendous amounts of growth; this is not the same band I listened to when I was 13, but a band that I really enjoy listening to at 18. It pushes the boundaries of what’s popular on American alternative stations, bringing a whole new international spin to the band’s success.

Vocalist Bill Kaulitz’s voice is at its prime in upbeat tracks such as lead single “Love Who Loves You Back.” The track has a beat that belongs in a club but could easily have a sold out room bouncing on their toes. One of the top requested singles on KROQ recently, it’s very much Neon Trees meets Cobra Starship and exactly as infectious as that mix sounds.
“Covered in Gold,” the fifth track, is the perfect segue into “Girl’s Got A Gun,” my absolute favorite off the album. With an incredibly infectious chorus, the track is perfect for just about any situation- it’s a song to use in car commercials and liquor commercials and everything in between. There is no way it can be faulted for anything but its repetitive nature (which is definitely part of it’s charm). Plus, the music video might be the strangest thing anyone could watch today. You have to see it to believe it.

“Kings of Suburbia,” the eponymous track, is the most similar to Tokio Hotel’s previous work lyrically. In contrast with other songs, the construction of the song itself seems to outweigh the focus of the lyrical content, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing here because they make it work. This factor is reminiscent of Kaulitz’s earlier work, but slightly more refined as a result of the frontman’s age and increased exposure to the world. “We Found Us” is a track that sounds too much like Rihanna’s “We Found Love” to have much real weight on the album other than to act as a fun filler.

The ninth track on the album, “Invaded,” revisits the piano introduced in an earlier track, “Run Run Run,” and seems to be about a mournful aftermath of a break up; it focuses on the realization of how much someone can work their way into their significant other’s life and how weird it can be to go back to what used to be ‘normal.’ “Never Let You Down” is essentially lackluster for me, repetitive in the wrong way musically and in lyrical structure. “Louder Than Love” blends into “Masquerade,” a song reminiscent of another (now defunct) pop-alt German group Cinema Bizarre from a few years back, but with a stronger rock influence and keys that would match up perfectly with a laser show live.

The final track, “Great Day” seems like a letter penned by Kaulitz and is the strongest choice to close this album. The music is a perfect blend of 2008’s Scream and their new, more mature sound and I can’t nitpick a single fault out of it.

Tokio Hotel hasn’t released the same album twice in a row. They’ve jumped from pure alternative rock to extreme pop; it’s easy for anyone to understand that they’re constantly learning, adjusting, and refining their sound to be commercially successful while staying true to the band’s vision. Although Kings Of Suburbia has a few too many tracks that don’t appeal to me, I’m curious if their live counterparts are more engaging than their recorded versions. Ultimately, Tokio Hotel are a brilliant example of a band that regularly push the constraints of what’s popular right now (and what’s about to be popular) to see if they can create something people connect with. Their constant reinvention keeps them fresh and exciting and fans like me beyond excited to see what they create in the coming years.

– original article