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Let's be clear, guys, it will be incredibly difficult for you to find Shrink anywhere in the world, and indeed I am writing this review to annoy all those who, like me, have fallen madly in love with "Neon Golden". After a year of desperate searches, I managed to find this album, and I must say it was worth the search.
The Notwist (now I'm sure of it) have a unique way of writing pop songs. Their unmistakable guitar sound, the unique timbre of Markus Acher's small voice, so sweet you never want to stop listening to it. Also inimitable is the work of their "electronic man" Martin Gretschmann, capable of (interesting? absurd?) solo projects that I was able to appreciate even live, in May, before the group’s full performance.
In short, the sum of these components produces 10 wonderful tracks (including 3 excellent instrumentals) tinged with that melancholy we are so fond of. Melodies so simple, that no one had ever thought of them before.
The perfect opening with "Day 7" (I count the letters of your name, I count the days till you are here again); then comes the grace of "Chemicals," which when it lights up, is a blow to the heart. "Another Planet" is almost emo-core, while "No Encores" is the synthesis of Notwist-musik. "Shrink" however reaches its peak with the eponymous song, which I had to listen to about thirty times to be sure that such a beautiful song could exist... insistent percussion, the guitar follows it, his voice, and a universe of emotions that crashes around you.
Incredible Notwist, every one of my emotions is here, inside these two albums, and I don’t know how they manage to know me so well.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 Chemicals (05:15)
Chemicals will hit you
Chemicals will knock you down
Is it over cause you feel no pain
Throwing me around
You attack my head with numbers
You tack my room with things of glass
You attack my neighbours `til you`ve found someone
Who`s cleaning up the mess
You are no good
Cause I know you can`t sleep
Til you know your overbearance makes me creep
05 Electric Bear (04:28)
Then I saw the electric bear
Now he`s always there
I can talk to him behind my door
I can talk of your eyes every day
Cause they don`t look old
And I never feel any cold
All the things I do with you
They don`t fade away
06 No Encores (04:25)
Say one - your're numb
Say two - your're naked
Say three - it's all been done
These numbers help, these numbers fool you
They stay when you are gone
Count one - you move
Count all the others - you disappear
Cause you never laugh
I count the reasons why you are near
Cause you've never known me
No encores
09 Your Signs (06:46)
It's fine until you know you're here
And you're alone inside this head on your shoulders.
And then you're hard to find.
You get me by the neck
You never change your signs
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By mic
How is it possible that no one ever put this (aesthetically ugly) CD in front of me and said, 'Michele, listen to this CD, these Notwist are so ahead of their time...'
I no longer consider Neon Golden an innovative album... Today I listened to Shrink, which precedes by five years the sounds that will be revisited and perfected in Neon Golden.
