Germans make things tougher than they need to be, but I think it\u2019s because they like the challenge.<\/p>\n
Look at their language, filled with 21-letter words with sometimes complex, existential meanings. Even simple words are a mouthful: The German word for OK is Einverstanden<\/em>. I wonder \u2014 does anyone ever win a German spelling bee? Do they ever end? Germans make things tougher than they need to be, but I think it\u2019s because they like the challenge. Look at their language, filled with 21-letter words with sometimes complex, existential meanings. Even simple words are a mouthful: The German word for OK is Einverstanden. I wonder \u2014 does anyone ever win a German spelling bee? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[47],"class_list":["post-708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-notwist"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=708"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":710,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions\/710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Now in its 25th year of existence, German band The Notwist, a foursome from Weilheim in Oberbayern (even the town names are elaborate), started as a metal band but would become the godfathers of electronic-indie postrock. Its 2002 album Neon Golden<\/i> was as influential as they come, opening the doors for bands such as Postal Service and Passion Pit. But instead of expounding on its achievement, Notwist went six years before releasing the uneven The Devil, You + Me<\/i> and now, another half-dozen years later, returns with Close to the Glass<\/i>. Recently signed to Sub-Pop, Notwist is making a play for relevance again, and while Glass<\/i> makes some inventive noise, it doesn\u2019t do it often enough.
With disjointed beeps and clamorous percussion, tracks \u201cSignals\u201d and \u201cClose to the Glass\u201d set an early tone of experimentation, even though Markus Acher\u2019s vocals come across bland and uninspired. Acher, who with brother Michael founded the band in 1989, clearly enjoys the music more than the lyrics (as is the postrock way), as the words in these opening songs feel more a chore than an accoutrement.
But then \u201cKong\u201d follows, a pop gem allowing the album to properly unfold (it\u2019s a slam-dunk opening track, why it\u2019s not is odd). It\u2019s classic Notwist, which I can understand is not what the band wants to do, but perhaps it\u2019s what it should do. \u201cCasino\u201d falls into this same verve, and really, and album of 10 songs such as these two would make for an instant classic. The subtle acoustic guitar throughout \u201cCasino\u201d provides healing comfort in a song about failing relationships. Top-rate stuff.
What follows is not a matter of ingenuity, but of not knowing when to stop. \u201c7 Hour Drive\u201d has Notwist in shoegaze mode with an inviting starting guitar fuzz which becomes a tad annoying by song\u2019s end. The jejune \u201cRun Run Run\u201d apes Thom Yorke\u2019s solo efforts to tepid results (and really, how good is Thom Yorke\u2019s solo work to begin with? Yes, I said it). \u201cLineri\u201d is nine minutes of indulgence and drudgery, like telling a long story where the ending includes the phrase \u201cand then nothing happened.\u201d
Who knows, I could be off on this and in two years the world be writing about Close to the Glass <\/i>as a lesson in perseverance, the opening shot in \u201cshoegaze postrock electronica minimalism.\u201d I doubt it. If Notwist embraced its past more (a past that already peered into the future), Glass<\/i> would be an album we would talk about for years.
But I get it, that would be too easy. What\u2019s the German word for challenge?
Herausforderung<\/em>
Yep, that sounds about right.<\/p>\n