The Blip Brothers
Fall, 1998. The Notwist has just played the Casbah in San Diego on the last night of their West Coast tour with Japanese rocker Cornelius and singer/songwriter Elizabeth Esselink (aka Solex). Everyone was gathered at a nearby hotel to celebrate with a cooler of beer and plenty of off-kilter German jokes. Before long, instruments were out of their cases, guitars were swamped and a late-night jam session had begun. Notwist bassist Micha Archer even played his trumpet on a few numbers.
Its been more than four years since the Notwist have played the U.S., and the same amount of time since their last domestic release, the poppy electronic Shrink (Zero Hour Records). The tour with Cornelius and Solex was in support of that album.
This month, they return to promote Neon Golden, which was released last year by City Slang in the UK and is now available stateside on Domino with three bonus tracks. Its a captivating, challenging 10-song work that cant be grasped with just a few plays. With each listen, more of the layers, blending guitars, samples, loops, blips and blops make themselves known. In a time when loud rock dominates the commercial alternative airwaves and local groups cant get enough of being "post" everything, its refreshing to hear familiar sounds integrated like this.
The record took 15 months to complete. Markus Archer, who plays guitar and sings, explained: "In the beginning we had no idea what we wanted to do. We thought we would make a noisy anti-pop LP. It changed every week."
Although the group revolves around four consistent members–Archer, his brother Micha Archer (bass), Mecki Messerschmid (drums) and Martin Gretschmann (everything electronic)–during a performance and while recording, the Notwist look to their friends for added instrumentation. On stage, according to Archer, they "try to play as much as possible to have the possibility to react." What were conceived and recorded as single songs often become longer jams as ends blur with beginnings. "Its important to give the songs the chance to grow and change over the years, cause you have to play them so often."
Neon Golden is the sum of all the members parts. The Archer brothers collaborate in the electronic avant jazz band, Tied & Ticked Trio, and Martin Gretschmann doubles as the mastermind of Console. Gretschmanns personality shines throughout the new album, and is best exhibited on his Console album, Rocket in the Pocket. Its these different creative outlets that allow the Notwist to produce an epic and appealing album such as Neon Golden. As Archer explains it: "We all need different bands to realize different things. It is what keeps the Notwist interesting."
Although the Archer brothers are jazz fanatics and would rather be shopping at Academy Records than Generation Records, they decided "to have no saxophone solos or other jazzy elements" as heard on Shrink, but instead, "work a lot with coincidence and accidents."
Archer elaborates: "When we recorded Neon Golden we listened to a lot of old reggae and blues records, but also to jazz, electronic music or singer/songwriter records. The oriental percussion that our friend Saam Schlamminger is playing, is very close to abstract electronic music like Autechre. We became fascinated with combining acoustic and electronic elements, new and old, golden and neon, in a way."
Neon Golden combines some of the best moments of Shrink along with the groups punk roots, as evidenced with "One with the Freaks." A melancholy tune, overlaid with pretty, repetitive blips, it may be their most poppy song to date. Gretschmanns synthesizer almost mocks Archers subtle guitar. He softly sings, "as you long for intuition/as you have to learn the lesson twice as you have to say the password twice/have you ever/have you ever/been all messed up?"
Seconds later, the guitars kick in, and the song climaxes like New Orders hit "Crystal," a comparison made apt by Archers appreciation for New Orders "way of making pop music." He also enjoys Joy Divisions "Love Will Tear Us Apart," which he describes as possibly "the perfect pop song" because "you dance and sing along to this melody and then you realize youre singing some lines that totally undermine pop–myths of endless love and happiness."
With this latest release, the Notwist is trying "to be honest in the lyrics, [to] talk of things that are part of our lives and not just reproduce cliches." He admits that it may sound a bit romantic to never "be corrupt or to be for sale," but adds that, "its the only way for us to continue making our own music."
The Notwist play Fri. & Sat., April 4 & 5, at the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St. (betw. Church St. & Bway), 212-219-3055.