Review Summary: Agressive, dancey, fun, and challenging, I invite any EBM fan to purchase this gem of an underrated German synth band. Any modern And One fan should get this classic album and witness their early hits and possibly their best work.
And One... a not so mainstream synthpop band from Germany that I became addicted to in my teen years. I honestly believe that my friends and I are the only Americans who have ever heard of And One, they seem to only be popular in Germany and only sell there. Their music style has infected me since I first heard "Steine sind Steine". I love German industrial music, a Rammstein Youtube fan introduced me to And One and I was hooked. I have found that And One's main style throughout its 25 year run is of harsh electronic body music, heavy Depeche Mode influence, menacing and politically charged subjects, sexual style, cheesy pop music at times, German symbolism, dancey tunes, ego-building, and inconsistent themes.
The band formed in 1989 when Steve Naghavi (vocalist/songwriter and the only band member to remain with the band in its entirety) and Chris Ruiz (who left after their first album and returned in 2002) met in a Berlin Club. The band put out three albums in three years (1991-1994) that I don't have and don't plan on getting due to their lack of presence online, although I am aware of their early hits such as "Technoman", "Second Voice", and "Loser". I.S.T, released in 1994, was there breakthrough album which really screams "And One" and its overall style. I.S.T is by far And One's best album with Joke Jay and Rick Schah (who both left in 2001 and returned in 2012), and has timeless classics such as "Für", "Body Nerv", and "Deutschmaschine" which define And One's style and sound. For some reason they couldn't keep the momentum going into their late 90s albums which faltered in comparison. Nevertheless, I will now review each song.
EGO- The introductory instrumental which is by far my favorite of all And One instrumentals. It has a catchy beat with German radio voices blasting creating such a wonderful song that sets up the album beautifully.
MURDER MURDER- A strange but interesting song that shows And One's aggressive tone. Steve's voice is cold and sinister making for a nice dark track.
DRIVING WITH MY DARLING- A single from the album that resembles "Behind the Wheel" by Depeche Mode. For one it keeps the driving theme and the beat is similar, but more upbeat. Steve's voice is great here, but the song is kind of cheesy and a little boring. The video is pretty primitive as well, but hey it was their first official video.
THE ONLY GUEST- A nice dark track with a killer beat. The vocals display a sense of longing and loneliness that is empowered through the heavy noise. A very danceable track that turns tragic toward the end. Songs of children playing fades into the next song.
DEIN DUFT- Probably the most beautiful song And One has ever written. It is soft and has excellent German lyrics that express love and lost. It really makes one sad but the beauty is touching.
IT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT- Probably my least favorite on the album. It's slow and slightly boring, but not a band track, it just goes on way too long for my liking.
WHEN THE FEET HURT- A catchy track similar to "Murder Murder" that really shouts at your soul. Its pretty epic and goes well with the album.
THE SECRET- A heavy track with interesting lyrics that slowly fades into a more positive light. German lyrics are found toward the end of the track and close the song nicely.
FÜR- One of And One's greatest works, an awesome and epic German track that really keeps one dancing and feeling good. The poetry of the song is ingenious and its just plain catchy. I say its the principle song of the album.
SECOND DAY- A seemingly pointless 1:18 song with Steve singing in... Swahili? Its very eerie and strange which makes it all around more interesting but I don't know the purpose behind it.
BODY NERV- Ignoring the obvious misspelling of "Nerve", it is a classic And One song that describes the sound and theme of future And One. "She hits your body nerve" is always on my mind.
TAKE SOME MORE- One of the best songs on the album. It's dark and challenging, bringing up teen drug and suicide rates. There's a part of this hard hitting track where Steve just talks about the suicide rate increasing which I think is clever and unique. Really great track that thumps into the next one.
DEUTSCHMASCHINE- My favorite on the album, this controversial German track talks of the German machine never dying and continuing its success, one could imply they are referring to Nazism but I wouldn't go too far. Its catchy and exciting, but the single version released in 1995 is waaay better which is saying a lot. A radio transmission is heard at the end that fades into the next song.
HEART OF STONE- The most frightening and challenging of their songs. Very dramatic and thoughtful, it describes many complicated things that I can't go into. German lyrics are found here as well which is always welcomed. A cold wind sound fades into the next track.
GHAMA VOODOO- The closing instrumental which is both weird but scary. I think it's a pretty nice closer, bringing an epic album to an end.
