If you're on this page you may already be well aware of how great this album is, unfortunately, all I can do is add more fuel to this amazing black ring of musical fire.

One of those albums that you cannot stop listening to. Beautiful melodies, crunchy beats - a really nice amalgamation of electronic and acoustic instrumentation.

I bought the CD shortly after downloading the song "Pick up the Phone" from some kids on Livejournal. It sat in my bedroom collecting dust for three or four months after an initial listen left me with an impression far different than that of "Pick up the Phone" gave me. Some months later, I picked it up again. (Refer to review title). This album is simply amazing. Each song gives it's own take on the style of music that is portrayed. A simple melody with an electronic backbeat. I have honestly heard nothing like it, but I rarely venture into the whole 'electronica' stuff. That's another reason I find this to be such a great release. It has electronic elements, but isn't the rave stuff (I stereotype, I know). The lyrics themselves aren't entirely amazing, at least in most songs, but that is overshadowed by the great music.

Clean and crunchy beats sputtering under a layered synth soundscape that's half rock and half etherial electronic pop, with perfectly restrained and plaintive vocals that slip in some deceptively powerful lyrics. This album should not be missed, and it's sad that the pop pilfering of The Postal Service has managed to bolster a user friendly and pretentiously vapid reappropriation of this "kind" of music into the mainstream.

Neon Golden should be understood and appreciated as a classic. It's a groundbreaking album, and much as Portishead did with their album "Dummy," the Notwist have simultaneously created and perfected their own genre of music. There will be many imitators to follow, but hopefully history will remember the true importance and influence of this album.

The music creeps up on you, and while it seems at first to be rather simple and pleasant, there's a great deal more going on here that unfolds and presents itself upon repeated listens. This is one of those truly indespensible albums that defies genre classification. It grows on you with each listen, and steadily makes more and more sense.

It took them till this album to really establish their unique sound, but if you want to look into their older material (without stumbling upon their early missteps as a garage punk/prog mess), you should also check out Shrink, which is the first album where they really started to "figure things out."

If you're already into The Notwist, I'd highly recommend the album "Faking the Books" by Lali Puna... Another incredible artist fusing electronics with whatever to turn out something unique and fascinating.

Also, if you're a fan of The Notwist, you HAVE to check out their collaboration with Themselves that they did under the name 13 & God. The self titled 13 & God album stands up to the accomplishment of Neon Golden, and presents a different side to the band through a collaboration with some amazing artsits from the Anticon collective. Essential purchase for any fan.

If I had to describe this album to the uninitiated, it would be "the love-child of Belle & Sebastian and Kraftwerk". Take the plaintive vocals of Stuart Murdoch and combine them with the Casio synth beats of Kraftwerk, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what The Notwist sound like.

And it works so well. Markus Archer's vocals make this album what it is. His voice pulls you into the songs Pick up the phone and Consequence, and the beats keep you in there.

A fantastic and original album from this excellent German band.