Search - Einsturzende Neubaten :: 9-15-2000, Brussels

"Between Semtex and L'Utopie": Music for Our Age

P. Gunderson | San Diego, CA USA | 02/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The German band "Collapsing New Buildings" seems more timely than ever, after over twenty years in existence. I hesitate to call them an "industrial" band because I think they surpassed that genre many years ago; since "Tabula Rasa" Neubauten have been making sound art that manages to bridge the divide between high-concept and musical aggression. Their sound is like none other, and serves as a reminder in this age of ultra-sophisticated electronic synthesizers that the most beautiful, elegant--and also most frightening, dark, and foreboding--music can be made from the tools at hand: a shopping cart, a powerdrill, a bamboo stick, pipes, and electrical current. In the world of Neubauten, the powerlines sing."9-15-200, Brussels" captures a remarkable, inspiring performance. The sound quality is excellent, and more importantly, the songs are rendered with artistry and passion. Their rendition of "NNNAAAMMM" is spellbinding and worth the cost of the package alone.I continue to be amazed that Neubauten is not as well known as the Velvet Underground or the Clash. They are truly the most awe-inducing musicians working today. Listening to them pulls you into a world where music is part of the exhilerating riskiness of life. Listening to Neubauten makes one feel as if the world itself hangs in the balance, as if it could all come crashing down in flame in an instant. And it can. It can."

STUNNING SOUND QUALITY

djostia | NEW ORLEANS, LA United States | 02/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I avoid live recordings like plague but this one is just amazing..So very well performed and recorded that some tracks are even better than their studio versions, "Beauty" for example..An absolute must for EN listeners and a good start point for those who are just finding out about them. I only wish I were there to see it live."

Live Neubauten

aloyzius | Hell Town, Florida, USA | 05/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While no recording could ever truly capture the spontaneity and energy of an EN show, the quality here makes it very worthwhile. This is one of my favorite live albums ever. Blixa's onstage commentary reveals warmth, and humor that may surprise many of his American fans. Unlike many profound artists, you can hear in his voice just how much he enjoys his work. And the songs are astonishing live. We get used to assuming that everything is processed and coming out of some keyboard live, and very little actually is. Everything from compressed air, to a large metal tub is used as an instrument. I loved this band years ago, when I only knew them for their noise, and metal objects used for brutal sounding percussion. I love them even more now, for the instruments they make are even weirder, but the music is hypnotic and beautiful. And though they may have matured with age, they can still scare you if they want to. This is more than industrial music. This is groundbreaking art that continues to inspire people."