The Notwist are an indie rock band hailing from Weilheim in Oberbayern, Germany, consisting of guitarist and frontman Markus Acher, bass-playing brother Michael Acher and beat programmer Martin Gretchsmann (aka Console). The four-piece are musical butterflies, their sound having evolved throughout their 21 year career from heavy grunge blasts to heartfelt, electronica-tinged atmospherics. Last week saw the reissue of their most critically adored album, Neon Golden, packaged alongside a 'making of' documentary, On/Off The Record.
Where their self-titled debut, and it's subsequent follow up The Nook were standard young punk affairs - Metallica riffs alongside Nirvana sensibilities, third album 12 marked the transition into their now familiar form, gaining Console as a full time member, while fourth album (and Neon Golden pre-cursor) Shrink introduced now characteristic elements of folk.
Career highlight, Neon Golden marked the shift from tentative exploration to a confident articulation of a sound that it took them over a decade to crystallise. Popular single One With The Freaks is a perfect example of The Notwist's now refined sound. Accompanied with a video chronicling the surreal adventures of a floating jellywish, the song lyrically explores the struggles of keeping life together.
Elsewhere on the album Markus Acher's nearly whispered vocals, often cuddled in deceptively cheery guitars, take on more heartbreaking dimensions with Pick Up The Phone, a track that sounds like Noah & The Whale might have, had they partied with Portishead rather than Mumford & Sons.
Exploring themes such as isolation, loneliness, and heartbreak, the reissue of Neon Golden is a perfect chance to become familiar and fall in love with a tragically overlooked band.
The Notwist's website.
The Notwist on MySpace.
Words: Chris Thompson
8:24 AM | 26/11/2010
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