''StillNo1'' is the seventh album by German

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band

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. It was released on January 25, 2008.

Production

The band recorded the album in Berlin in 2007. It was their first "real" studio album after recording and releasing a number of songs from

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a ...

's and

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

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The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, ''The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with music ...

'' in 2006. The band described recording those songs as essential for the existence of ''StillNo1'' as they incorporated many things they learned during their time performing at theaters.

Cover art

The cover of the album is a version of a painting by Berlin artist Sigurd Wendland. The band planned to find a cover art by visiting art galleries in Berlin

Mitte Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding. It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreu ...

while recording the album but found nothing there that they liked. They discovered Wendland's art by browsing through an arts catalogue afterwards and decided that Wendland's art fits their music style. Wendland was supportive of the band and even asked them whether they would play at his

vernissage A vernissage (from French, originally meaning "varnishing") is a preview of an art exhibition, which may be private, before the formal opening. If the vernissage is not open to the public, but only to invited guests, it is often called a '' pri ...

at Lisbon. Lead singer Chris Neuburger described it as great way to depict the music on ''StillNo1''.

Reception

German music review site "Plattentest" gave it 9 out of 10 points and praised the album's departure from the loud, screaming songs on the band's previous 2004 studio album '' All We Need Is Silence''. The review also highlighted positively that the band diversified their usage of musical instruments, departing from their style of using mainly guitar sound which they established on '' Lookbook'' (2000) and compares the sound of the album to a variety of different artists, amongst them Radiohead,

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature an ...

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band from Reykjavík, active since 1994. The band comprises singer and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, fr ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

. German music magazine "World of Music" also praised the album and named it their "CD of the month" in February 2008.

Track list

Lyrics

Unlike in previous albums, ''StillNo1'' contains lyrics that are addressing a variety of political and sociological topics. Lead singer Chris Neuburger said in an interview that while the band previously had such thoughts, it was the first time they put them into musical form. He went on to say that the music and titles were designed to "trick" the listener into expecting lyrics that fit the music in a romantic way but instead often contain elements of criticism of the current political and sociological system.

References

External links

Official homepage of the album
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stillno1 2008 albums Slut (band) albums