Tokio Hotel's New Album - Humanoid
A New Look, A New Sound, is Tokio Hotel Still the Same Emo Band?
Nov 5, 2009
With hard-hitting songs like "Human Connect to Human" and "Noise," the band's third album definitely has more than enough pulse-pounding excitement. But it's the ballad "World Behind my Wall" that really gives the listener something to hold on to and let soak into their soul.
Who are Tokio Hotel?
German-based Tokio Hotel was founded by identical twins Bill and Tom Kaulitz, Gustav Schafer and Georg Listing in 2001. With Tom on lead guitar, Georg on bass and Gustav drumming, that leaves Bill free, as lead singer, to really play to his audience. His on-stage antics aren't obvious when listening to the album, but fans of the band can easily imagine his wild dancing, his wild hair and his love of flashing his stomach to the crowd.
Did They Change?
Before the release of the new album, Tokio Hotel announced a drastic change to both their look and sound that had many fans worried they wouldn't be the same band. Rumored to be "dark and anthem-y," some thought the new music wouldn't be what they were used to.
When a sample of the first single, "Automatic" was released in August, however, most of Tokio Hotel's fans gave over-enthusiastic reviews, calling the new song "amazing" and "fantastic." Fans should rest assured that the band is still the same inside, even if their clothes change and their songs shift a little to the pop side.
The title of the album, "Humanoid," was chosen because Bill wanted the English and German versions to have a universal title. Though Humanoid is spelled the same in both languages, it is pronounced differently in German.
What's the New Single?
25 songs were recorded with 12 making it on the standard version and 16 on the deluxe, with "Automatic" becoming the first single. A robot-themed video was released in September with the song, with all four members of the band driving muscle cars across a deserted plain. The lyrics, "You're automatic and your heart's like an engine," seem to fit perfectly with the video.
Most of the songs on "Scream," their first English-language record, were written by music producer Peter Hoffmann, who discovered the band when they were still known under their original name, "Devilish." Bill and Tom Kaulitz co-produced this latest album with the help of a few other song writers including David Roth, David Jost and Desmond Child.
Since the 2007 U.S. release of "Scream," Tokio Hotel has steadily gained a following of emo-core fans who can expect more of the same with "Humanoid."
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