12 by The Notwist

If The Notwist’s first two albums, 1991’s The Notwist and 1992’s Nook showed signs of steering into a slightly different direction, then their third effort, 12, is a considerably sharper turn entirely, the first very noticeable shift in the band’s style. Gone altogether are the metal riffs; there’s still plenty of guitar noise courtesy of singer/guitarist Markus Acher, but the emphasis is on even more of a Sonic Youth/Dinosaur Jr.-style noise, as opposed to the big, fat metal guitars. You hear that instantly on songs such as “My Faults” and “Puzzle”, as the band awkwardly tries to mimic the post-grunge sound of the mid-’90s, with their insistent, melodic guitars interspersed with distorted noise, upbeat rhythms, and perky melodies. On “The String”, though, they throw in a catchy, repeated riff and a danceable beat provided by drummer Martin Messerschmid, which makes the rather formulaic set-up a bit more palatable. However, what makes 12 such a key transition album is the fact that The Notwist dares to stretch out even further, even though it’s a bit tentative at first.

On this album, they employ the services of noted laptop arranger and future member Martin Gretschmann (he of Console notoriety), who puts his programming skills to work on about half of the tracks, and as a result, you’re offered a glimpse at what kind of band The Notwist will become. Gretschmann’s influence is most evident on a handful of songs: The beautifully dark “Torture Day” employs a subtle techno accompaniment and tiny hints of loops underneath the sparse drums and guitar, as Markus finally has a sound that’s best suited for his thin voice. “Noah” has more of a laptop feel, as Gretschmann’s Autechre-like aural collages start to become more audible, more and more intertwined with the sparse arrangement of guitar and vocals. The closing track “12” has more of an organic feel, as the trio manage to sound like Radiohead before even the Oxford band themselves started to sound like Radiohead, with its dark chorus, and its sudden shift to jazzy improvisation, with strings and bass clarinet (that jazzy sound comes into full fruition on the band’s next album). It’s not a consistent record, but 12 marks a massive leap for a band who started off as sounding so one-dimensional.

- Adrien Begrand for popmatters

Markus Acher, Micha Acher, Cico Beck, Andi Haberl, Max Punktezahl & Karl Ivar Refseth,

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