NEU! - NEU! '75 (1975)

Rating: 8.8

Subtle atmospheres float over and around you like gentle waves on a beach. Pounding guitars assault you from all sides while drums add the finishing touch needed to make the beating complete.

Two completely different images, both contained within one CD. That is NEU!’s third and final (for a while, at least) CD in a nutshell. NEU! was composed of guitarist Michael Rother and drummer Klaus Dinger, both of whom had their own idea for what NEU!’s music should be. Rother favored a subtler, more beautiful approach, whereas Dinger preferred all-out proto-punk assaults. On their self-titled debut, these two desires merged perfectly together and created a great album. On this album, however, the elements are separated, with each musician getting one side to show his own vision of NEU!.

On side one, Michael Rother shows his knack for finding beauty, creating three pieces based around gentle keyboards and guitar with slow, tone-setting drums. Though they are slow, these pieces are engaging, allowing the listener to sink into them like a dream while still holding the listener’s interest in reality. Not many bands/songwriters are able to do this, especially without vocals, but Rother pulls it off to perfection. The songs themselves may not be particularly revolutionary, but when put together, they show a unique pattern that will go on to influence modern bands such as Tortoise. As you wade across the gentle soundscapes of “Isi-Seeland-Leb Wohl,” a layer or two is removed between songs. This pattern of song deconstruction can be seen in the post-rock genre, particularly in Tortoise’s epic “Djed” (from the album Millions Now Living Will Never Die).

Somewhat surprisingly (given just how slow it is), I find that my favorite piece from Michael Rother’s half of the album is “Leb Wohl.” The utterly tranquil nature of the music is soothing beyond belief, and Klaus Dinger’s reminisces of good times on the beach add to the already beautiful atmosphere. The sounds of waves help you imagine yourself on the beach, lying on a towel with your love by your side, watching the most gorgeous sunset you’ve ever seen. While I have not experienced what I just described, this is the music I would imagine playing at such a moment. To me, this song redefines beauty. I will warn you, however, that this song will probably seem dull if listened to out of context, and even in context it will take a few listens to warm up to. Once you do warm up to it, however, it will you over the head like a sack of very soft bricks, creating a pleasant thumping sensation.

As for the sack of regular bricks that’s coming to hit you over the head, don’t you worry: that’s up next, for it’s time to move to Dinger’s half of the album. These three songs have all the subtlety of sore toe, but they are no less worthwhile than those on side one. Starting with the song “Hero,” which may well be NEU!’s best (earning competition only from “Hallogallo” and “Negativland,” both from the debut). Chock-full of proto-punk guitars and Klaus Dinger’s motorik beat, this song will sweep you off your feet after only one listen, and it only gets better from there. Dinger’s vocals will not be for everyone (though they are not nearly as dissonant as those on “Lieber Hoenig” from the debut), but I find them excellent, full of the energy required to go along with a song like “Hero.” Closing the album is “After Eight,” a song that is very similar to “Hero,” only not quite as good. It’s still a great song and I love it, mind you.

Sandwiched between these two rock workouts is the long, steady groove of “E-Music,” which will call to mind earlier such grooves (for example, “Hallogallo”), but with a more aggressive edge, as you would expect from Klaus Dinger’s half of the CD. While not as overtly a rocker as “Hero” and “After Eight,” “E-Musik” takes strength in that it mixes the proto-punk of Dinger with the subtlety of Rother, creating an excellent album worth owning by every Krautrock fan.

NEU! were, of course, hugely influential within the Krautrock explosion, and their influence has extended far beyond that today. Their pioneering electronic work has influenced bands such as Yo La Tengo, Stereolab, and Radiohead, not to mention countless others. While NEU! ’75 is perhaps the portrait of a band at war, the music itself is good enough to warrant a very high rating. This is a CD that belongs in every progressive music collection, Krautrock or not.