Markus and Michael Acher formed the group together with Martin Messerschmidt in Weilheim, near Munich. In 1990 they recorded their self-titled debut The Notwist, a grunge-metal oriented LP. 1992 saw the release of Nook, which has an indie rock sound, while their 1995 album 12 contains their first flirtation with electronica. Martin Gretschmann (aka Console) joined the group in 1997. Shrink, released in 1998, is a jazz-electro-rock album. The album Neon Golden (released in 2002) put them on the map for American listeners.
In 2003 the band started their own record label Alien Transistor and released a soundtrack for the movie Lichter by Hans-Christian Schmid. On September, 6th 2004 the EP Solo Swim came out, a collaboration between The Notwist, Console and Klimek, which is also the soundtrack for the documentary Kanalschwimmer by Jörg Adolph. Both EPs are only available on vinyl as is the latest EP by Rayon (Markus Acher), released in spring 2006.
Some of The Notwist's songs have been remixed by Four Tet, Manitoba, Console, Loopspool, and others. Singer Markus Acher collaborated with Anticon rapper/producer Alias on the song Unseen Sights.
The Notwist recently formed a supergroup with Themselves named 13 & God, whose eponymous debut was released in 2005. Other acts in which members of The Notwist are participating include Village of Savoonga, Tied & Tickled Trio, Lali Puna, Ms. John Soda, Potawatomi, Alles wie Groß, Ogonjok, Rayon, 3 Shades of Blues, Hometrainer, Bolzplatz Heroes, Alien Ensemble, and Schweisser.
In 2006, Messerschmitt left the band on friendly terms. Markus Acher stated that "it just didn't work anymore".
The Devil, You + Me and was released in Europe in May, 2008. On June 17, 2008 the album was released in North America on Domino Records.
2014 saw the release of Close to the Glass released in the US on Sub-Pop.
http://www.notwist.com
Members
* Markus Acher - guitar, vocals
* Michael Acher - bass
* Mecki Messerschmidt - drums
* Martin Gretschmann (aka Console) - programming
Where In This World
The Notwist Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where in this world could I go, but to the speeding train
Where in this world could I go, but to the road
That takes me away
There's no escape from this circling place
No, no escape from this circling place
With all of us here on this circling place
It's not a good night
Where in this world could I go, but to the wires
Where in this world could I go, but to the speeding wires
Where in this world could I go, but to the chord
That takes me away
There's no escape from this circling place
No, no escape from this circling place
With all of us here on this circling place
There's no good night
It's not a good night
The lyrics of The Notwist's song "Where In This World" explore themes of restlessness and the desire for escape, set against the backdrop of a world that feels stagnant and unchanging. The singer describes a feeling of being trapped, unable to break free from the cycle of sameness and routine that defines their life. They ask themselves where they could go to escape this place, listing different modes of transportation such as planes, trains, and roads, but ultimately concluding that there is no way out.
The second half of the song introduces the idea of wires and chords, perhaps referencing technology and the ways in which we are tethered to our devices and the digital realm. The repetition of the phrase "no escape from this circling place" drives home the sense of being stuck, while the line "there's no good night, it's not a good night" implies a sense of unease or unrest even when the day is done.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of being trapped in a world that feels too small, too predictable, too limited. It speaks to the restlessness and yearning for something more that many of us experience, while also acknowledging the reality that sometimes there really is no escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Where in this world could I go, but to the plane
I feel trapped in this world and need to escape, but the only option I have is to get on a plane.
Where in this world could I go, but to the speeding train
I'm searching for a way out of this world, but my only option seems to be to jump on a train and speed away.
Where in this world could I go, but to the road
That takes me away
The only option for me to escape this world is to take any road that leads me away from here.
There's no escape from this circling place
No matter where I look or where I go, there seems to be no way for me to escape this never-ending cycle.
No, no escape from this circling place
I can't deny the fact that I'm stuck in this place until something drastic happens.
With all of us here on this circling place
Everyone around me is also trapped and searching for a way out of this place with nowhere to go.
There's no good night
Even when I'm supposed to find peace and rest at night, I can't seem to find it in this world.
It's not a good night
I can't find any solace in the night or any other time of the day in this never-ending cycle.
Where in this world could I go, but to the wires
I'm searching for a way to escape this world, but even the electric wires seem like a tempting option.
Where in this world could I go, but to the speeding wires
I'm so desperate to escape this world that I would even resort to the electric wires and the electrifying feeling they bring.
Where in this world could I go, but to the chord
That takes me away
Any musical chord that can take me to a different world or a different state of mind seems like a viable option to escape this never-ending cycle.
Contributed by Abigail Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
zoyclem
It's a nice melancholy song and has a really haunting tone. I gave it 5 stars.
Willem Janssen
sheer brilliance..The Notwist always delivers the goods..
Alberto Meza
The Notwist is such a great band, and such a great influence, they are magnific!!!
kalleri75
great song, so melancolic but so true, especially when we wonder what to do.
Goodwill
i love how this song starts.. very inspiring with the feeling of sadness. gives me the chills.
KalikaInLeather
"(Was Nützt die) Liebe in Gedanken" aka"Love in Thoughts" is even better, and so is August in it! I went and watched this vid for August and as I've already said, he's genious even in a 4' vid... especially that part where he's alone at night in the bed, watching that thing wheeling, rolling you know and then drawing it... Even the girl's with him, on his side, you get such a sense of loneliness, it's incredibly well acted. HS but cant wait to see him in Inglorious Basterds!
coll666
Notwist exist since 1990. the self-titled album sounds great even today, but its more hardcore. i once saw one great concert of them in 1995 when the fantastic "12" Album came out... that was in Vienna then...yeah!
matsie
This was very mellow. I'm not the biggest Notwist fan, but this was pretty decent. I dug the video.
Rene Molina
the video really brought me in, and the song compliments it really well.
Savage.yeenreally-
wonderful music