'Brand Neu: Tribute To Neu' (Feraltone) Released 11/05/09

First the bad news. Oasis making an appearance on a compilation saluting the vast influence – way beyond the legendary duo’s measly record sales – of German Krautrock pioneers Neu!? With a track that sounds like the hastily assembled outcome of a pub boogie band’s challenge to do ‘psychedelic’? Surely that’s a joke, right? Sadly not. Neither is the slot devoted to Kasabian who, as usual, resemble a catastrophically off-form Primal Scream barking out nonsensical chants after a long day on the ale.

On to the good stuff. The actual Primal Scream donate the totally wired ‘Shoot Speed/Kill Light’, reminding what a visionary bunch they used to be before succumbing to Stones covers band syndrome. It’s this track that best illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of ‘Brand Neu!’ Bands who opt to mimic Neu’s famed stock-in-trade – in other words the duo’s unmatched ability to carve something indescribably atmospheric from elements (deadpan ‘motorik’ beats; stark, repetitive melodic build-ups so subtle less attentive listeners might swear nothing whatsoever’s happening) that read like the shopping list for interminable monotony – are doomed to come up desperately short of the real deal, a problem illustrated by the toothless soundalike entry from Fujiya & Miyagi. The ones who dare to venture furthest away from the Neu! formula – Primal Scream sounding like New Order careering down the Autobahn on a terrifying dosage of rotgut whisky and amphetamines, LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Watch the Tapes’ clattering compulsively like the Fall turning into Can – pay the most appropriate tribute to Neu’s boundary-breaking spirit, simply by sharing their dedication to experimentation, innovation and sounding like no one else.

Elsewhere, the compilation veers erratically between the good (Foals, Holy ****, Cornelius), the bad (Pets with Pets) and the indifferent (School of Seven Bells), sometimes during the same track (Sonic Youth’s ‘Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening to Neu!’). Neu! men Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother pitch in with a rare track each. Whilst Dinger’s contribution, one of the last tracks the drummer was involved in before his death in March 2008, is spoiled by rotten poodle metal guitar sounds, guitarist Rother’s extended ‘Neutronics 98‘ delights with its distinct echoes of the hypnotic levitation of vintage Neu! If you like this, you’ll love those classic albums. Maybe that’s the whole point of this comp – getting people to trek back to the source, ‘Neu!1’ (1972), ‘Neu!2’ (1973) and, best of all, ‘Neu!75’ (1975).