The Notwist
Shrink

I listened to the album Shrink by Notwist today. Blown away! How is it possible? How is it possible that it was recorded in '98? How is it possible that it's seven years old? 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, they're playing something new, something our ears aren't yet used to hearing." No one, absolutely no one, in 1998. It did happen, yes, but in 2003 with Neon Golden (I thank Coppola and MTV for this).

Ok, sure Neon Golden is an extraordinary album, beautiful in all its components, in all its electro-rock nuances, it's true. It's an album that the more you listen to it, the more you appreciate its harmony, sound, loops, and meaning. But starting today, I no longer consider it an innovative album, something never done before, something new. Today I listened to Shrink, again by Notwist, yes, those same German guys, which precedes by five years the sounds that will be revisited (and perfected) in Neon Golden.

They are the Notwist (as of April possibly 13&GOD), they have been making excellent music for seven long years.