NEU! '75

Neu! 75 presents a reborn Neu! Gone are the proto-punk leanings of the previous two albums. The year is still 1975 but these guys had moved on to post-punk already.

Neu! was a duo of musicians originating from the original Kraftwerk line-up. While their first albums didn't betray such, Neu! 75 finds them in a very electronic mood. They must have been listening to some Cluster I guess. The opener Isi could as well have featured on Krafwerk's Radio-Activity from the same year. And it is by no means inferior. Beautifully atmospheric and melodious synth-pop, with that recognizable Neu!-beat.

See Land is slower and darker, but still rather melodious and with some Tangerine Dream alike guitars. Beautiful piece. Also Leb'wohl finds them exploring new ground, very sparse and ambient this time, and featuring some hazy spoken/half-sung vocals. The seas washes in and out to brace the atmosphere.

On Hero they are back with a full-on punk track again. It's simply unbelievably this album is from 1975. But this is not just an influential album, it was influential because it is so darn good and perfectly captured the anarchistic and rebellious spirit that was on the rise with the new generation of youngsters.

After the catchy punk anthem Hero, E-musik brings us in a more experimental vibe. The drum groove of Hero is processed through some effect device and repeated for 8 minutes. Only some minimal piano, synth and guitars add to the mood. Not the easiest listen here but still interesting. After Eight end the album with a continuation of the rock 'n' roll beat, and with decisively anti-melodic vocals. Add some guitars here and Lemmy could turn this into quite a Motörhead anthem.

An album with two faces from a band with the creative imagination of 20 others. It's not the most consistent listening but the recommended album to get an idea of what Neu! is all about.