Neu! is a german band from the 70s. In 1975 they released their third studio album, appropriately titled Neu! '75. It would be the last album they released for 20 years. Let's see if it's any good.
1. ISI (5:07)
The forward-moving "motorik beat" (wiki) provides a compelling backdrop to a lovely little piano and shimmering synths. This is a very pretty song that feels relentlessly optimistic. Am uplifting track that doesn't push it's luck and never becomes schmaltzy.
2. SEELAND (6:54)
Neu! slows things down. This song just washed over me, which isn't a bad thing. If 'Isi' is the bright optimism of a new day, 'Seeland' is the reflective calm at dusk. There's something very victorious about this song too, in a refrained, stately way.
3. LEB WOHL (8:51)
Not really feeling this one too much. Very spare track; maybe if I could understand German I would appreciate it more, since the focus is on the lyrics. They must have asked the drummer to step out for this one, since they replaced him with a metronome. Maybe he went down to the beach and recorded the sound of the waves which are a constant in this one.
4. HERO (7:12)
Now here's a song that ROCKS. A total freak-out psych jam that goes hard and doesn't quit. Sweeeeeeeeeet.
5. E-MUSIK (9:58)
This song takes the 'ROCK' theme of 'Hero' and elaborates on it making for a long-form jam that, well, rocks. The last three minutes of the song are given over to some ambient noodling and tape-fuckery, but it's all good.
6. AFTER EIGHT (4:44)
This is punk rock, and that's a good thing. A solid closer
Neu! '75 may not be for everyone. The first half tends toward the ambient, and even though the second half is solid rock, many listeners have no patience for a song over 3 and a half minutes, which I every song on this album is. Listener prejudice aside, this album is cohesive, engaging and highly enjoyable.
Give it a spin.
Foreword! FOREWORD!!!
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