Artist: VNV Nation
Album: Automatic
Label: Anachron Sounds
Review by: DJ Hangedman

On a personal level, VNV Nation was one of the prime bands that helped facilitate my own return to the scene in the late nineties. As a result, I hold this band with very high esteem and maintain that these guys, the father’s of future pop, are among the most entertaining and driven artists in the industry.

With high esteem comes high expectations and I both anticipated (as I always do) and feared the release of Automatic. I say fear because I am such an uber fan, that I never want to be introduced to an album that changes my level of admiration and sometimes high expectations can do that.

When the opening track of Automatic began, I beheld a deep and energized feeling. I could almost smell the diesel fumes of the artistic mandate that VNV Nation stated before the release.

Listening to the rest of Automatic I can say that VNV Nation has once again released a solid piece of work. And those who like the poppier turn the band took with 2005’s Matter + Form, and 2007’s Judgement, will not be disappointed.

Early purists like myself might find that no one track really shines out, and yearn for perhaps one or two ground-breaking experimental tracks that the band always seems to be able to pull out with earlier releases.

The part I most enjoyed about Automatic was the slower tempo songs, and less the dance beats. One can always count on VNV to throw in a couple of thought provoking, sometimes tear evoking ballads (for lack of a better term). The faster paced pieces are growing on me slower than I’d like but I also need to check myself against the excellent lyrical narrative of the entire album. VNV Nation have sometimes been criticised, even satirized for overly dramatic lyrics, but I say bar-none, this is what VNV Nation does and does well, and this is what we come back for with every release.

In conclusion, Automatic is a really solid album. No real surprises, but that’s okay because the individual songs themselves are each top future-pop quality and that’s VNV Nation!

Buy VNV Nation’s Automatic album on CD at Amazon or buy VNV Nation’s Automatic as an Mp3 download on Amazon.