There was a period of time around 2009 that was very formative for me when it came to discovering and establishing my music interests and leanings. Severely dominated by alternative rock, every discovery I added to my iPod came by way of friendly recommendations, alternative music blogs and movies. However, additional to the Bon Ivers, Franz Ferdinands or Grizzly Bears that I listened to unstoppably, there was sometimes an outlier band or artist with considerably less exposure; that is the case of The Notwist.

This German indie-rock band, that formed 30 years ago, has deep influences of seminal styles from their country, mainly krautrock and the Berlin electronic music scene. This has allowed their own brand of indie music to shine in unexpected ways and to evolve to something beyond each of those elements. Neon Golden, their well known and best release from 2002 is not only the album that introduce me to them, is also the perfect example of everything the band’s crafted from their early releases to the last ones. Now, it has been 7 years from their last release, 2014’s Close To The Glass, and the focus while equally ambitious is presented with a whole new approach.

Vertigo Days was preceded by several singles, most of them featuring a different artist. This showcased The Notwist’s renewed sense of purpose and ultimately that their sound wasn’t going to be tied to any prediction someone could make based on their previous records. Of course, there’s moments that sound inherently theirs; gentle and straightforward melodies, enhanced by singer Markus Acher’s unattached tone, accompanied by electronic beats, the occassional strings and the band’s solid rapport. There’s ‘Where You Find Me’, with its hooky synth intro, an unforgettable bassline and a verse section adorned with bells. “My time brings it back and sings and drinks its lonely calls/’cause it owes us nothing” sings Acher with a calm that makes it seem he is in peace with what he’s saying.

One of my favorite moments is ‘Loose Ends’ another cut that calls to the band’s strengths. It is a slow number that makes me recall Duster or Low, in its repetitive chords, monotone tune and the skeletal production. In the end the band keeps adding elements to increase the sense of a melancholic atmosphere. In the end, it immediately morphs with ‘Into The Ice Age’, a track that features American jazzist Angel Bat Dawid. Something similar happens at the end of ‘Where You Find Me’ where it smoothly changes its more tender atmosphere to the percussive nature of ‘Ship’ featuring Japanese singer Jaya from the duo Tenniscoats. By the way, curious to note that aside from English there’s a song with Japanese and another with Spanish vocals, not one sung in German.

The result of this open collaboration has resulted in an album that, while not veering to much away from what The Notwist has perfected, experiments with beats and textures that take this songs to uncharted territory, like jazz and trip-hop. As with ‘Oh Sweet Fire’ that includes vocals and instrumentals from yet another American jazzist, Ben LaMar Gay. Vertigo Days at times feels in danger of succumbing to its own ambition, adding some intrumental numbers that don’t add to much to the formula and other extended cuts that may distract the listener in a counterproductive way. Especially past the middle of the record.

For all its shortcomings, The Notwist manages to keep Vertigo Days cohesive, especially by how it ends. ‘Al Sur’ maybe the most vanguardist track of the LP, with its urgent beats and the contribution by Argentinian electronic artist Juana Molina. Its percussive nature and processed vocals really paint it as one of the most interesting moments in the album, and an unexpected moment after many songs that sounds like they tried to achieve this level fo surprise. Closer ‘Into Love Again’ brings the album to a close, reprising the themes of the intro track, with an elongated outro that incorporates intrumentals from the Japanese brass band Zayaendo. “Now that you know how much it hurts/Won’t save you from falling into love again”, recites Marcus Acher sounding like a seasoned lover that keeps its faith burning despite the scars. The song’s colorful yet nostalgic ending is in line with Vertigo Days‘ penchant of using left turns as a tool for connection instead of provoking disengagement.

In late 2014, in an ironic turn of events, I saw The Notwist live before most of the more ‘mainstream’ bands I was listening at the time I started listening to them. Their live show, while featuring many of the songs I knew and loved, was a completely diverse experience in comparison to their studio recordings. The songs were longer and more dense, sometimes the duration was doubled. The instrumentation was quirky and it saw the members using uncommon stuff to actually create familiar sounds. If Vertigo Days wasn’t intended to replicate this, it certainly comes closer than any of its predecessors.

The Notwist catalogue, while not perfect, is definitely attractive to revisit because it keeps itself interesting with tracks that push forward traditional structures with confidence, helping themselves by using approachable expressions. At times so approachable that a song from Neon Golden was featured in a movie that starred who Chris Evans, better know for portraying Captain America. That was my first major exposure to their music. (‘Consequence’ is the beautiful song. The movie ‘Push’, outright sucks). Despite following the band for more than ten years now, they are still outliers among whatever artists I may name on this blog. And Vertigo Days ultimately, is another enthralling chapter in what has come to be an enigmatic and unusual career. I wouldn’t mind if it stays like that for years to come.