Neu! Order
Krautrock is a genre understood by few, but unknowingly emulated by many. Ex-Kraftwerk members Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother left the world of robot rock to pursue a more textural outlet in that very vein: Neu! Spawning a collection of influential pieces that would send ripples through the pop lexicon, Neu! have recently released a vinyl box set featuring all of their studio albums: Neu!, Neu! 2, Neu! ’75 and Neu! ’86.
Neu! begins with “Hallogallo,” the anthemic epitome of what some would envision when hearing the word “krautrock.” It provides the post-punk bass line and drum beat, but also weaves its way around long, drawn out pieces of effect-laden guitars (although minimalistic in presence). Think Los Angeles’ own El Ten Eleven if they were to Marty McFly themselves to the ’70s. This song could have single-handedly been responsible for No Wave in New York, Joy Division in Manchester or – dare some say – the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. “Hallogallo” is where it began.
Tracks like ”Sonderangebot,” Weissensee” and “Negativland” are perfect examples of what happens when you give kids a couple of phaser pedals and analog synthesizers: drippy, acid-y soundscapes. Neu! could have easily been renting a studio above Brian Eno’s apartment for all we know, sessioning till the wee hours and simultaneously giving birth to ambient, post-rock and dream pop.
“Lieber Honig” might as well have been the spiritual catalyst for Sigur Rós and Bjork, with German almost whispered as gibberish and lightly plucked guitar notes accompanying the song into what eventually sounds like a mic dropped into a bathtub. Remember, this was experimental rock.
Neu! 2 is a different story. Sounding even more like a modern post-rock/math group from the American Midwest, the band starts dabbling with chords and slightly more melodic schemes with “Für Immer (Forever).” The band showcases a sense of mood and “climax” rather than the overall malaise of Neu!.
The band continues this sound with “Lila Engel (Lilac Angel) ,“ this time with distortion, percussive vocals and a new sense of urgency. This track could easily fit snugly in a release by Holy Fuck! or, again, El Ten Eleven.
Neu! ‘75 starts with “Isi,” using the same drum beat as the tracks that introduce Neu! and Neu! 2. The only difference here is the introduction of piano and pad-like synths paving the way for dream pop artists such as Cocteau Twins and Asobi Seksu to follow suit.
By now, you should know that the reason Neu!’s albums carry their namesake is because each album is a reiteration of the last. Neu! ‘75, on its face, doesn’t really deliver a bag of tricks. Again we’re treated to the formula of guitar and drums on one track and soundscapes on another.
The fourth album in the box set is Neu! ’86, a revised version of their out-takes album Neu! 4. More structured in nature, the album begins with “Intro (Hayden Slo Mo),” a 30-second ambient piece worthy of being at least 3 minutes.
The next track, “Danzing” and “Crazy” is electro-pop if anything, fitting nicely alongside The Human League’s ’80s catalog. The inclusion of more vocals (although still sparse and unintelligible) render the album’s pop tracks more accessible than their previous work.
“La Bomba” has just enough synthesized “world beat” sounds that it could have easily been a Talking Heads b-side. The awkward spoken word break about a minute and a half into the song reminds listeners this is still the same quirky group from Germany.
Songs like “Vier” and “November” hold true to the ambient techniques of even today with looping violins played in reverse and enough white noise to fill a Tim Hecker record.
It’s funny how well the box set holds up in terms of the current pop lexicon – at least until Neu! ’86 begins soundings a little “too ’80s.” It seems Neu! ’86 was the logical progression from the first three exercises in post-punk aesthetic. Today, it’s not difficult to hear a Neu! bassline or soundscape trickled here and there in your favorite dream pop artist’s single or that hip dance group from Brooklyn, but it’s comforting to know you can learn why within the contents of one box.
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