On its 2002 breakthrough Neon Golden, the Notwist melded computerized sounds and fragile guitar-pop songs better than almost anyone save Radiohead, teaching indie-rock kids to appreciate the digital realm. While The Devil, You + Me, its first proper album since then, doesn't open any new doors, it's another remarkable synthesis of tender, textural songs. Staggering opener "Good Lies," the gentle title track and folkie "Gloomy Planets" are simple, guitar-heavy reflections on human failings. Other tracks like "Where in This World" conjure up dystopia from strings and stuttering IDM beats. "I won't sing you algebra," Markus Acher vows on "Alphabet." In a nearly 20-year career, the Notwist has moved from metal to rock to an electronic-rock hybrid. On The Devil, You + Me, the group remembers that behind all those ones and zeros, there are people as imperfect as computers that crash.

-- Marc Hogan