here's a difference between liking something and thinking something is good. Sure, the two often overlap, but every once in a while you'll listen to a song, know it's not that good, and like it anyway. Call it the "Get This Party Started" phenomenon.


Of course, sometimes the opposite occurs. You listen to something, know that it has artistic merit, know all your friends will love it, but for whatever reason it never grabs you. I call this the "I Care Because You Do" complex. I think that James' 1995 release is good, and I like the songs just fine, but it's always last on my list of Aphex Twin albums to play (Drukqs notwithstanding). I don't know why this is. I appreciate the Phillip-Glass-esque string loops, the percussion permutations, the melodies... I guess I just don't get it. My loss, I suppose.


That's how this Notwist album hits me. It's good. I know it. These Germans have a knack for combining layer upon layer of simple instrumentation and turn it into bouncing pop songs, driven by glitchy drum loops. A tremendous amount of talent and effort went into Neon Golden and it shows. But it just doesn't move me. I know it should. But instead I just keep hearing the latest Volkswagen commercial.


I can't really figure it out. I'm a sucker for songs that have lots of things going on, and the Notwist provides that in spades. Plucked acoustic guitar, strummed guitar, flutes, oboe, a string quartet - that's just the first song. Neon Golden contains a veritable symphony of instrumentation, although the Notwist definitely know when to hold back - the barren "Solitaire" stands as a good example, consisting of just a string quartet, a distorted beat, and some nice vocals.


Maybe the vocals get to me. Markus Acher sings quite well, and his vocals are always left untreated. However, the singing is almost too perfect - there's no spontaneity in them, and very little emotion. But that doesn't really fully explain my indifference to Neon Golden.


I think my main problem is that these guys are secretly making simple pop songs. They may have plenty of instrumentation, oodles of Pro-Tools hacking, and IDM street cred, but the second track, "Pilot" lays their inspiration bare. The twangy guitar and bass over a driving synthpop beat - it sounds a whole lot like Depeche Mode. And as varied as Neon Golden is, the songs all have remarkably similar structures. Start off an instrument or two (banjo, flute, guitar). Play a simple loop. Add another loop, with some singing and a simple drum beat. Now when the chorus comes along (and it always comes at a very intuitive time), either more stuff will be added, or stuff will drop away. Then back to the verse. Same as the first, but we might have picked up a trumpet or an extra guitar this time.


There's nothing inherently wrong with this style; in fact, there's a lot right with it. After all, the pop song structure exists for a reason. But it just never grabs me. Almost nothing surprises me in terms of the actual songs. I mean, hearing a baritone sax is unexpected, but it's more novelty than anything else. This isn't exactly a criticism - the Notwist are obviously talented enough to keep me guessing if they wanted to. They just don't. They are quite happy making simple pop songs, albeit with complex ingredients. And that might be a greater achievement. In any case, you'll probably love it. And I'll still be scratching my head.