FIVE YEARS! It's been FIVE YEARS! Tokio Hotel have sure taken their time in producing their latest album Kings of Suburbia but just one listen through the album will tell you why. The twins, Bill and Tom Kaulitz, relocated to LA not long after the release of their previous album, Humanoid. Contrary to what normal people may believe about LA, it seems the city provided them with a much more "live-able" lifestyle. In Germany it didn't seem like they had much chance to leave their homes or live like everyday people (I'm guessing that's what World Behind My Wall was about). The G's, Georg and Gustav, remained in Germany but the twins seem to have found a more comfortable and free lifestyle in the US. Undoubtedly, this fuelled a new kind of creativity of which the product is Kings of Suburbia. The boys have certainly shocked with their drastically different sound but once over the initial "what the hell?!" this album is actually quite good.
Feel It All
The song starts with a soft electric sound followed by a drum beat and a rather different sounding vocal from Bill. It's not nearly as auto-tuned as the other songs on this album and you can actually hear Bill's voice. It has a fairly simple structure with a very electric and "studio produced" feel rather than their trademark "live rock band" sound. While it's not exactly a stand out on the album, I find it easy to listen to and quite likeable. It's a good opening track as it's a subtle introduction to the new sound.
Stormy Weather
SO MUCH AUTO-TUNE! I sometimes wonder how on earth Bill is going to perform some of these songs live! Not that I don't doubt he can hit the high notes (he did manage to get that extremely high note in Love and Death on their Welcome to Humanoid City Tour after all). BUT, that being said, I actually really like this song. I like the low tones at the beginning of the song and the fact that the electric guitar actually plays a role in the song. The beat is great and it has a lot of power. It's one of my favourites on the album. My only criticism would be the lack of inventive lyrics in the chorus and the poor grammar (It is "a" stormy weather? Just no...). I can imagine them rocking out to this in concert - in fact I think it would be a great opening number for their tour (*hint hint*).
Run, Run, Run
Amongst the hoards of heavily auto-tuned and electric songs, this one definitely is a stand out. The entire song is just Bill's vocal and Tom on the piano. It reminds me quite a bit of Zoom Into Me, showing that the boys haven't completely lost their old selves. It's soft, melodic and steeped in emotion. This song does feel more grown up than Zoom in the sense that it seems to have experience attached to it. It has more to do with sex and love than their songs previously (as sex was usually Tom's domain). You only have to listen to the first line ("I wonder how your body tastes"...uh ok?) to know the boys have grown up. This was the first song they released from the album and I think it was a great intro to the new sound.
Love Who Loves You Back
This song is the official single of the album. If this isn't a big, red, warning sign that the boys have grown up, I don't know what is. Not only is the video pretty much an orgy but the cover art of the single is a...clever...illusion. I'm not going to post it here but go have a look. It's only a computer mouse but...uh...it looks like something else. I LOVE this song. It feels easy, the music isn't heavy but it's full of subtle sounds and a good beat. It actually reminds me a lot of Empire of the Sun's Walking on a Dream and MGMT's Electric Feel. I don't know why but it does. The chorus is catchy and Bill sounds great. The only weird part, the laughing girls at the end of the song. I mean was that necessary? But all in all, awesome song!
Covered in Gold
There doesn't seem to be a decent version of this song on YouTube (I mean you can check out the Chipmunk version if you want but I'd rather you sample it on iTunes or Spotify).
This song does not sound like Tokio Hotel in the slightest. I don't know why but I can picture Adam Lambert singing a song like this, but minus the intense auto-tune though. It's got that glam rock/electric sort of fusion going on. I can't explain why I love this song. It's kinda weird but I really like it. There's good drum beat with some piano thrown in. I haven't the slightest clue what Bill is saying in the high bits of the chorus but it's my favourite part of the song. I think it's about a problematic relationship? You might consider looking up the lyrics...
Girl Got A Gun
I've already made my thoughts about the video very clear. Also it has been pointed out to me that this thing is supposed to a dog, not an elephant due to the absence of a trunk. Although, you'll find a trunk if you look a little lower...
In any case, this is a brilliant song. There was some speculation about this song being about transvestites (the pink chick is actually a dude...). Gun...get it? But anyway, back to the point. Great drum beat, catchy chorus, fantastic song.
Kings of Suburbia
Obviously this is the title song of the album. I know I've been saying this about pretty much all the songs but this is a great song. It's got the makings of a good, semi-rock anthem. The power is tangible and I imagine it would sound fabulous live or even with some really good quality headphones. I feel like the other members of Tokio Hotel actually play some role in this song. The drum beat is fantastic as is the electric guitar and the song in general has a got good bass. I have to say though, one of the best parts is Bill's little quote in the middle of the song ("God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference"). I'm guessing Kings of Suburbia refers to their new life in LA and self acceptance. I like it!
We Found Us
Return of the auto-tune! This isn't even slightly rock. It feels sort of Swedish House Mafia/Avicii/David Guetta/Calvin Harris. Definitely a club song. It's got a strong rhythm. While this probably isn't the first song I choose when I'm listening to the album, I do quite like it. It's got an atypical structure in the sense that the beat and melody are not exactly constant. It builds nicely to a climax at the end before ending softly.
Invaded
Sorry but this was the best version of the song I could find! God this song is emotional! The song is extremely simple and very reminiscent of the old Tokio Hotel. I love that we get to hear Bill's voice properly. It's soft and really strikes something. The music itself is also very basic. It is just the piano with some strings in the beginning before including some acoustic guitar towards the end. The melody is haunting but beautiful. The lyrics also make me think of their older songs like Don't Jump, Zoom and In Your Shadow. I really like that they didn't over complicate this song. It's sort of like a broken love song. Definitely gives me chills!
Never Let You Down
The start is deceiving. It begins with a piano intro then breaks into another David Guetta-esque kind of track. It grows on you though. Again, the beat is great. There seems to be little for Georg and Tom to do in this song though. The guitar parts are quite limited. The chorus is simple in terms of lyrics - as in you could probably listen to it once and be able to sing it the next time you hear it. This is due mostly to the lack of actual words - he more or less repeats the same words à la Girl Got A Gun. I like that they reincorporate the piano in the bridge before breaking again. It's a very "club" kind of song rather than a rock song. It's not a rock song. Not at all. But, it's certainly not boring musically.
Louder Than Love
Hey! Actual guitar! This feels very mainstream. Like I can imagine Havana Brown or something doing a song like this. Oddly enough though, I could also picture Imagine Dragons singing this song. At the very least, TH knows what the market is into nowadays. It's like a modern, feel good rock/electropop combination. I don't even know. The lyric "nothing's louder than love" is a little corny for my liking, but still, good song.
Masquerade
This is a gooood song! Great opening beat (although I'll admit the ringing sound is weird). Bill's voice is powerful and echo-ey. This is another powerful song that also manages to be pretty damn haunting. It's quite eerie actually. I really like the lyrics too, especially the chorus "in time we hide in the masquerade of heroes, a million lies behind blue eyes in the masquerade of heroes..." awesome! It harks back to some of their old, darker stuff which personally I loved.
Dancing in the Dark
This sounds like the kind of song The Veronicas used to sing... At least in the chorus anyway. The verses are a bit more electric and darker feeling. Despite the fact that the chorus does feel kinda rock-ish, it's still a far cry from the kind of music they used to make. I do appreciate that they do seem to be putting some effort into the lyrics of the song. So many songs nowadays are about pretty much nothing so I'm glad that they haven't completely abandoned "substance". This probably wouldn't make my top 5 in the album but still a relatively good song.
The Heart Get No Sleep
Again, probably not one of my top 5 or a stand out on the album but still a pretty good song. It builds up nicely in the verse to lead up the the chorus which again barely has any words. It comprises mostly of weird, electric sounds. I appreciate the lack of auto-tune in this song, after all Bill does have a pretty good voice. Good beat but otherwise not much to say about this particular track.
Great Day
I don't know why but this sounds very "boy band". Think 1D/5SOS. At least there's some guitar. It's not as electric as some of the other tracks. There's some good drums and piano but mostly bass. I don't really know what to say about this song to be honest. There's nothing spectacular about it but it's pleasant listening.
And that's all of them! On the whole, this is a fantastic album. Sure, it is completely different from anything they've done before but if you listen closely, you'll still hear hints of the old Tokio Hotel too. While their taste in single artwork and music videos have been quite the shocker, they should be extremely proud of the album they put together. It will appeal to a much wider range of audiences than their previous albums as there doesn't seem to be one specific genre that applies to the whole album. I guess they'd probably call it alternative but that's usually the label they give albums that don't really fit a category. Whether you're a veteran fan or this is the first time you've heard of them, this album is definitely worth the listen. Tokio Hotel is really evolving as a band and they're showing that they're not afraid to completely switch it up. With each album they're gaining more creative control and I think they're doing a great job!
KEEP
9/10 (I deducted for excessive use of auto-tune...)
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