Thirty eight.

That's the number of people this side of Germany who have been anticipating Funker Vogts newest release. It's unfortunate that FV still hasn't been getting the playtime an Assemblage 23 has; even though FV is German and A23 is American. Oddly enough, for the few Vogt fans out there; we've had a good year... We've been treated to a nice remake of an old album, as well as a plethora of remixes and compilations.

Even though fans have had some candy to listen to over the last two years from their last full-length album, Machine Zeit, the wait is finally over and overall I'm quite satisfied.

The overall feel is a nice progression and evolution from Machine Zeit, and fits snugly more along the lines of the Subspace single. Here's a trivia fact for you Vogt fans: The single Subspace was actually a soundtrack/theme song for a bombed video game under the same name. It was a "Quake-clone", but highly boring. Bah, it still had a great soundtrack, eh? So, next time you hear "subspace" think about Quake and the song makes a bit more sense...

The never-ending carousel ride
For the 40 people who will read this and have no clue of what Funker Vogt is; here is a nice analogy for you. Picture yourself on a carousel listening to Rammstein minus the heavy guitar, minus most of the German and throw in a touch of techno. It's a very "up-and-down" type music that ranges from angry separatists to just plain wacky Germans trying to be tough guys or softy poets. Either way you look at it, take FV for what it is: a perfectly blended musical experience that combines the passion and tempo of EBM but keeps pace with the rustiness of industrial.

After a few listens to Survivor I was hooked, and nearly spun the silver off the CD in the first week. Maybe it was because I'm a fanboy, and like a kid at Christmas have been waiting for the album for two-years. But, after a month to soak it all in; I'd still have to say it's probably their best to date. While much of it seemed to run together at times, some songs were hard to distinguish as individual works. Again, the temp was a bit more "smoother" than previous FV releases. I think this was mostly due to the fact that the band has a new label and has canned their generic garage-type recording studio. The quality itself is absolutely brilliant and is hands down the best sounding album to date by them.

In comparison to Zeit, it is easy to compare the two. While I do think they have upgraded their sound a bit with some sugary (pronounced: shu-ga-rey) hooks; the beats and lyrics are still nice and garbled and has that wonderful industrial/underwater tone that we all have come to love.

And now...
There were a few tracks that really kept my attention more than others. I wasn't surprised to see this past week on their website that my favorite tracks on the album have made its way to single formats. Probably my four favorite tracks are: Date of Expiration, Obscure Pictures, Stolen Thoughts and Fallen Man. While these would be given a "10 out of 10" on the high-five meter; others like: Faster Life and Red Queen have a specific sound all to themselves and worthy of a single.

I think many fans have come to appreciate some of their "slower" songs; although it's kind of like good beer... you have to acquire a taste for it. Actually, a few of the slower songs crack me up sometimes. The first line of Red Queen just makes me laugh; for it sounds like something Monty Python would have sung.

Aren't you from that killer websi-...
One thing I've learned in my short 28 years of existence is that people are like cattle. Everyone tries to be unique and cool, especially when it comes to music. While Top 40 makes me puke, there is the smallest minority of people that would absolutely love Funker Vogt. As with all music that you are unfamiliar with, I encourage you to listen to MP3's first.

In fact, Funker Vogt has one of the best websites I've found for this genre of music. They have Real Audio clips and even occasional full MP3's free for download. Here is their URL: www.funker-vogt.com.

Recommended? Without a doubt. Will you like it? Not a chance.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out