About time we left the USA for a while and visited Iceland again. Literally. Because this version of ‘Popplagio’ was recorded live in Iceland and is part of the exquisite ‘Heima’ film of Sigur Ros’s 2006 tour of their homeland.

Like practically all of Sigur Ros’s songs, ‘Popplagio’ is sung in Hopelandic, a language they make up as they go along but which is loosely based on Icelandic (see ABON 0040).

And like on most other Sigur tracks, here Jonsi uses his lyrics and vocals more as sound than words, communicating through feel and tone rather than vocabulary. How successful he is at this is demonstrated by the fact that he can borrow words and whole phrases from other Sigur tracks, that you’ve heard before, often several times before, yet manage to make them convey something completely different on this occasion. And on this occasion that something different eventuually becomes more terrifying angel of the apocalypse than the angel of salvation he more commonly suggests.

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Part 2 of don’t-turn-around-but-the-future-of-music-is-standing-right-behind-you. In Germany. As we meet Faust, the second of the Krautrock quartet (along with Neu, Can and Kraftwerk) who grabbed ‘Rock’ music by the lapels in the early 1970′s, gave it a good shoeing and invented the future without many of us even noticing at the time. (See ABON 0003 for Part 1).

‘Pain’ is actually the closest Faust ever got to a conventional song and, by their standards is pretty mainstream.  Half song. Half drone. Half exquisite meditation on the meaning of being. Half dentist drill. 100% genius.

Apparently it’s all about the self-loathing and self-doubt created by suddenly having serious money for the first time after Faust signed to the Virgin Label. But for me it’s much more universal than that. Touching on the need to remain self-critical and never take yourself too seriously if you are fortunate enough to become more successful in life. In that conext, guitar-as-dentist’s-drill self-applied to the ego on a regular basis is the perfect - and perfectly beautiful – metaphor.    

Released 1973.

Available on the album ‘Faust IV’: Amazon

So here it is then. The best beat ever invented by white guys. And they’re German. Just what was the World coming to in the early 1970′s?
Neu were 1 of 4 crucial bands that emerged from Germany in the late ’60′s/early ’70′s while most people were looking and listening elsewhere. Can, Faust and Kraftwerk were the other 3.
A complete antidote to the over-the-top, overly complicated and unfortunately over here UK Prog Rock at the time, Neu’s beat was so hypnotic and – there’s no other word for it – interesting that they didn’t even need to embellish it with much else. Words, tune, melody, Roger Dean cover art, Tales From Topograhic Oceans, Lambs Lying Down On Broadway all a little unnecessary.
Neu were to become infinitely more influential on contemporary electronic music than anyone could possibly have imagined at the time. And to pass the test of time better than most of their UK and USA contemporaries. Never charted though.
In reality not many were listening in 1975 but Brian Eno was. He once said “there were 3 great beats in the ’70′s; Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, James Brown’s funk and Klaus Dinger’s Neu! Beat”. Klaus was Neu’s drummer and alongside guitarist Michael Rother created the phenomenon we now call Motorik.
Of course nowadays it’s difficult to read a music mag without Neu being referenced somewhere. And quite right too.
Recorded 1975.
E-Musik is from the album Neu! 75. Available in many good record shops but Rough Trade have a particularly good Neu section: RoughTrade