May WisemanThis hugger-mugger trend of techno, or synth pop, circulating dance clubs and turn tables today have all been a similar brand of sound in our last decade. Being eccentric flavor from your authentic computer geek to the wannabe that misses the mark somewhere along the way making the product more a clone than an original thought process. Null Device may have at one time been those wannabe's, but have now expanded their equipment list (listed as 43 pieces) and have effectively crossed the border into the techno geek heavens. The correct measure is finding Sublimation reminisces inside the epoch of New Order, Morrissey and Depeche Mode days. You'll get a lucid description from their sound of where the roots lay in this genre, while still appreciating the genre's evolution into the synth pop millennium.
Eric Oethler and Eric Goedken are the two men responsible for melding the creative style found in Null Device. Since meeting on the University of Wisconsin campus in 1992 and finding out that they both enjoyed dabbling in the idea of a New Order “side project,” they have stayed faithful to their appreciation of the struggle and now both find themselves in the midst of record deals. Fans can take notice from what their web site described as going from “some horrible-bad techno” at times (1994), to a full hour and fifteen minutes worth of radio quality sound in 2002. Even snagging a like band to tour with in 2003 called Assemblage 23, who is Depeche Mode friendly in sound however influenced at first by punk rock.
Oehler's vocals are subdued, polished and oddly projected at once. The first track, Footfalls, clearly give an idea of what the disc is going to sound like as well as insight in the nature of the lyrics. Most of the songs are written from the darker side of emotion (Goedken), however not effectively dark until incorporated into the mix of technology and vocals. The fifth track, Blindsighted, is a club anthem with its disco style beats and its lyrics giving the eerie sense of speaking to a crowded room full of dancers. Sacre` Coeur builds on a religious backing chorus similar to Catholicism on Sunday morning mass, but in techno form. Heavy synths are used in Word and Deed; used like wallpaper to create texture for the stringed instruments and found equally as well in the Morrissey tune There Is A Light which Null Device reworks pretty well to suit their style.
Staying within this genre's realm, they have created a nice selection of tunes here. I liked learning about how far the two men had come, rather the struggle factor that played in these two lives to get their music heard. They seem quite humble from their modest website, not being pretentious with their sound. It's just two guys making a full body sound. This took a lot of hard work on their part and their disc reeks of this effort.