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Reviving this old thread. Got the new Jarboe album and Blixa is on it, being creepy... anyway, I remember enjoying Einstürzende Neubauten a whole lot when I was younger. I need to go back and listen to some of their old records again. I'm going to say not crap for sure, unless my memory has totally failed me.

Yes, but how's that new jarboe album? Bad I guess?

Because, I'm guessing it's bad.

-K

Let me put it this way... I really want to like it. There are a few good tracks... a lot of disco on disc two, meaning: 'thump thump thump' one could easily hear it at a goth dance club. Some modern 'electronica/IDM'-ish sounding stuff here and there, too. Oh, the first song sounds like 90s grunge, so right out of the gate, I was a little bummed. She saves face in subsequent tracks, though. Not much terror or dread like old Swans stuff, that's for sure -- a pretty 'slick' production. There are some creepy tracks and some interesting middle-eastern-sounding swirly dubby songs. A mixed bag. Oh, there's some strictly a capella creep outs that make you feel like you're in, what could be described as, hell. And look out for the spoken word stuff, mines abound! Disc two seems like a lot of material from the first disc that's been 'reconstructed' -- a nice long drone fest at the end of it all. If you're really interested to get a better idea about it, you can go here:

http://www.thelivingjarboe.com/

Click on 'Product', then 'CD' -- the new album is listed first and there are sound clips available.

Now, back to our originally scheduled Neubautening.

After I heard 'Headcleaner' I was quite stoked to hear more. Sadly, they didn't keep me stoked for long. I guess that it's just not my kind of music... I'm only slightly leaning on the 'crap' side...

Scary music for the black clad, self-loathing, "artist community" types....among others

max wrote:Meine Herren, es heisst Einstüzende Neubauten.
Danke.

Thank you.

Something that has always interested me about the band is the manifestations of cabaret/jazz/ and folk music in their ostensibly 'industrial' music. This stuff was all really clear on silence is sexy, and most of their more recent stuff. Buts not to hard to hear in their earlier music.

I first saw Neubauten at Exit in 1980-something on their first tour. They were incredible. The attitude of "fuck it" was really invigorating. At one point, Blixa was screaming into the microphone while most of the front of the stage was in flames, and he took a moment to drink from a bottle of whiskey, which he then dropped onto the flaming stage, causing further flaming chaos. He was literally willing to allow himself to be set afire for the sake of a show.

There was a lot of clatter, but it all seemed directed at a genuine communal sense of chaos and excitement, and the physical aspect of it -- this shit is all for real and happening to us as well as you -- was inspiring. There were other bands of this type around at the time, Test Department, SPK and a few others, but EN were easily the most amazing.

Over the course of time, they adopted "rock-and-roll" attitudes, and their shows became progressively less interesting. I saw them four times in total, and each show was progressively more "safe," and more safe.

They started using triggered samples, they started sequencing stuff instead of physically performing it, and the shows became more theatrical and less dangerous. I mean there was little-to-no physical danger. Also, Blixa began acting like a self-important cock. Dude, you're not even a singer. Lay off the coke-spiel. And what's with the leather outfits?

The beginning of the end of interest for me came when they released a single, the rhythm track of which was a loop of the sound of a razor blade chopping coke, and the other principle sounds were samples of metallic sounds that had no performance aspect to them at all.

They made the mistake of confusing the sound with the music, and confusing celebrity with significance. It really made me sad.

There is a parallel with the Butthole Surfers, who slid farther faster, so this is not unique, but it was still a decline.

i saw these guys in '83 or thereabouts. it may have been the first tour, or the second. blixa played guitar, the rest of the guys played junk they had scavenged from a local junkyard. shopping carts, springs, saw blades, leaf springs, pieces of wood, etc. one guy, his instrument was a big fuckin' rock. like bigger than a basketball. they had a piece of plywood on the stage, with two 2x4s under it, and a pzm mic taped to it. this guy, for the entire show, dropped this 50 pound rock on the plywood. in time. crazy german motherfuckers.

there was a slight amount of fire. but what i remember was not the physical danger, just the sheer brilliance of making coherent music without resorting to the same old bass/guitar/drums/keyboards crap. it was fucking loud too. very fun show. probably the best experience i ever had at the channel - a shithole of all shithole clubs.

they lost it eventually, as all bands are destined to do. I don't really hold that against them. at least they were good for a while. NOT CRAP.

it's about a 50/50 split of crap vs. not crap regarding their recorded output.

but i enjoy the not crap enough to say not crap without regards to the crap half.


EDIT: oh yeah, and david yow is on alexander hacke's solo album. that's pretty not crap.