by Scott Yohe
After six years without an album, German 'indietronica' band The Notwist return with Vertigo Days, their best effort since Neon Golden. Allowing their influences of krautrock bands such as Can or indie pop groups such as Stereolab to shine through, the band is able to make something very special here. I am in no way trying to say that all their other efforts after Neon Golden are bad, rather that they do not stand out in the way that Neon Golden did. On Vertigo Days the band is able to recapture that same magic and even improve on it in a lot of ways.
The thing about Vertigo Days that shocked me the most was just how much it was able to make me feel. I went in expecting a pleasant listen but not much else. I was left with such an intense emotional feeling that came out of nowhere. The instrumentation makes me feel like I am walking through the woods in the dark, this forest is magical and I want to discover everything inside it. Most of lyrics are very touching and are able to tug on the heartstrings. On a song like “Loose Ends” we hear singer Markus Acher plead “My one heart for thee/the others see the rest of me/the rails, hey rails/please bring me back” in such a way that can’t help but make me feel sad and hopeful at the same time. The song “Ship,” featuring Saya, gives a break from the sad and needful emotions and lets me feel as if I am bouncing along the trail looking to discover the next magical place. All of the guest features add something special to the song they are featured on. Saya provides wonderful vocals on “Ship” making the song feel like Stereolab or Broadcast. Angel Bad Dawid plays a wonderful and interesting clarinet on “Into the Ice Age”. On “Oh Sweet Fire” we hear Markus and Ben LaMar Gay trade vocals for a tender performance. Argentinian vocalist Juana Molina gives guest vocals on “Al Sur” which makes it stand out to the album’s opener “Al Norte”. Finally, brass band Zayaendo, whom Saya is a member of, feature on the beautiful closing track “Into Love Again”.
“Into Love/Stars” exemplifies what makes this album so special, a truly beautiful song that feels so emotional. The title of the song is really true because every time I hear it, I can’t help but think of the last time I sat down outside and looked at the stars. When I think of that time, I remember just how into the moment I was, how badly I wanted to just sit there forever and look at the stars, how much I loved those stars. The lyrics “Now that you know how much it hurts/Won’t save you from falling into love again” show just how poetic and touching the album really is. The outro of “I know the stars can fall for us” repeating over and over makes me reflect on just how beautiful the world around me is and how deeply I want to appreciate it.
It may sound over-dramatic, but this is a special album. The Notwist are able to recapture the magic that made them so special on Neon Golden and maybe even surpass it. The album is engaging and begs for repeat listens. It offers an escape when we can all probably use one. I never thought I would be so ecstatic over an ‘indietronica’ album in 2021, but here we are. Give Vertigo Days a listen, you won’t be disappointed.