Advance into sonic depths

Secretly and sadly, we had already resigned ourselves to the idea that there would never be any more new music from the Young Gods. So it's all the more of a pleasant surprise that after eight years of radio silence, a new album is now available after all. The renaissance of one of the world's most important bands that ever grew up on Swiss soil provides a huge reason to celebrate. From the very first note - the debut maxi-single Envoyé released in 1986 - the Geneva trio went their own radical way. With the unusual combination of organic drums, electronica and vocals, they were pioneers in the attempt to combine rock with computers. Even David Bowie raved about them.

After the album Everybody Knows However, electronics engineer Al Comet had left the band after 22 years. Franz Treichler, the head and voice of the Young Gods, felt lost until he once again met Cesare Pizzi, the apparatus tinkerer who had once been part of the original trio. As part of the 2015 Cully Jazz Festival, Treichler, Pizzi and long-time drummer Bernard Trontin were given the opportunity to hold five days of public workshops. In the course of these informal "jam sessions", the desire for something new returned to all three participants.

From the seeds sown in Cully, the seven magnificent pieces of Data Mirage Tangram emerged. Similar to their kindred spirits Einstürzende Neubauten, the Young Gods' focus has shifted over the years from the generation and communication of energy to the creation of intricate webs of sound. Songs like Tear Up the Red Sky and All My Skin Standing show that the Young Gods still have plenty of rock steam in their bellies today. Above all, however, their confident handling of loud/quiet dynamics, Treichler's remarkably subtle vocals and Pizzi's clever use of noise ensure that Data Mirage Tangram reaches sonic depths that most other bands can only dream of.