Neon Golden is the Notwist's 6th full length album and is light years ahead of their post-punk, self-titled debut in 1990. 15 months in the making, Neon Golden is a prime example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.
A myriad of offsetting influences and styles that, on paper, shouldn't add up to the masterpiece that it is, Neon Golden seamlessly blends Markus Acher's subtle guitar and plaintive, detached vocals with modern day electronica (courtesy of squiggle-rock maestro Martin Gretschmann, aka Console) and ultra-fat dub passages and lush string & horn arrangements by classically trained trumpeter and bassist Micha Acher The whole stew is anchored by Mecki Messerschmid's tasteful and colourful drum work, both on the skins as well as the pads.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the record is the band's attention to tiny details and the way they mix the organic and electronic with extraordinary ease. The way they weave together cello and woodwinds with elecrtonic scratches and buzzes on the opener 'One Step Inside Doesn't Mean You Understand' or the way the front porch banjo and warm, woodwind-fueled chorus meshes with the minimal electro snaps, crackles, and pops of the first 12' (only) release, 'Trashing Days' seems indeed perfectly natural. Similarly, 'Off The Rails' starts with smooth, bubbling electronic pulses that slowly give way to Micha Acher's lush string arrangement that allows the song to literally float away on a cushion of bliss while 'One With The Freaks' starts with an ultra minimal 'tick, tick, tick' and gradually evolves in to a bright and sunny pop song in the short span of 3:30.
On a broader scale and no less impressive is the way the the songs themselves differ wildly in instrumentation and arrangement but all fit together so naturally as a whole. The driving 4/4, euphoric, uptempo pop romp of the lead (hit!) single 'Pilot' and the super fat, dub inspired, 'This Room' beautifully complements the 30's movie soundtrack strings and haunting woodwinds of 'Solitaire' or the delicate piano and aching vulnerability of Markus Acher's vocal on the album's closer 'Consequences'.
After a few listens, it's a bit easier to understand why this record was so long in the making and why it was so emotionally draining for the band. It's been a long time since anyone made a record of such deep soul and smarts and it is a direct result of years of hard work developing a craft and sticking to principles while others opt to take the fast track and subsequently burn out. Neon Golden is the sound of a group of artists comfortably and confidently hitting their stride and it harkens back to the days when an entire album actually meant something. In 2002, this asthetic is sorely missed.
Source: http://www.cityslang.com/bandseiten/notwist/notwist_frame.html
