AND ONE VIRGIN SUPERSTAR ALBUM VIRGIN RELEASE: MARCH 27, 2000 (GERMANY), APRIL 17, 2000 (SCANDINAVIA) REVIEW: APRIL 18, 2000

And One was, without any doubt, one of Germany's biggest synth bands during the 90's. From their first single, EBM-scented, "Metalhammer" their repertoire altered into EBM-pop on the albums "Spot" and "I.S.T." and further to something more like synthpop on "Nordhausen" and "9.9.99 9 Uhr". And One on "Virgin Superstar" is different. The line-up has expanded with a fourth member, Annelie Bertilsson from Cat Rapes Dog. And Christer Hermodsson (perhaps more known as Crull-E in S.P.O.C.K) has been involved in the production of the new album. It is a quite rare event in And One's history that a person from the outside works with them.
Probably that's also, partly, why "Virgin Superstar" is different. Most of its ten songs are catchy in a radio-easy listening-way and the earlier, sometimes more or less obvious, influences from Depeche Mode have given in to them from Robbie Williams and Pet Shop Boys. The single "Wasted" has a big singsong potential. The title track smells more than a flirt with the hit lists and "Life to Lose" has got a mawkish chorus that easily could fit the Eurovision Song Contest. It's practically just "Wet Spot" (sung by Annelie Bertilsson) and "Panzermensch" that respire some of the same magic that can be found in songs like "Sometimes" and "Spontanverkehr".
Listening to And One today feels trivial and not the slightest mind-blowing as inhaling fumes from turpentine, like it used to. Before.

SUSSI PETTERSSON