Neu!, “Neu!” (Astralwerks, 2001; original release 1972)Debut from the legendary Krautrock duo with their unique, circularly loping “motoric” beat. The template is Velvets-like repetitive strum/drone, but replacing the VU’s subterranean menace with a soaring, sublime clarity.Try 1, 32/21/16
Neverever, “Shake-A-Body” (Slumberland, 2012)Slumberland puts out a lot of nice Spector/girl-group-inflected guitar-noise-pop, but this one is particularly intriguing. The lead chanteuse has a really powerful, expressive smoky/mysterious voice, and the songs conjure up subtle moods, from effervescent to darkly melancholic, in a sound that’s both genuinely “period” and contemporary.Try 4, 51/29/12
Nico, “The End” (Island, 1974),Nico’s last album before waltzing away with Mr. Brownstone for the rest of the 70’s is also one of her most controversial. The darkly gorgeous sheen of “Marble Index” has flaked off of her trademark voice/organ/sound effects gestalt by now, leaving something sullen and vaguely evil. But listen closer and you […]
Night Beats, “Who Stole My Generation?” (Heavenly, 2016)With the recent surge in leftist activism, it’s a surprise more psych-garage-punksters haven’t revived that style’s ‘60s street-fighting mode, but here’s some that have. The reverb-heavy choogle of their debut remains, but with a new sense of tension and space that erupts in sporadic bursts of distortion and […]
NiHao!, “Marvelous” (Tzadik, 2011)Not often these days do you hear a band that’s both genuinely original and genuinely rock and roll, but here’s one. Their first LP fused early-Boredoms-style high-speed form-demolition with the playground-chant postpunk funk singsongery of Liliput. This builds on that foundation with even more twisted and labyrinthine song-structures and a new use […]
Nikki And The Corvettes, “Nikki And The Corvettes” (Bomp!, 1980)Despite the fact that this is a cornerstone of a large percentage of the rock-oriented stuff that’s been played on the station the last few years, we have never owned it – until now (and until someone “borrow” it forever) (but not you, right?). Crystalline pop […]
Nikki and the Dove, “Instinct” (Sub/Pop, 2012)Electro-dance/indie-pop hybrid from Scandinavia that simultaneously recalls a number of disparate acts from that neck of the woods (Oh No Ono, Sugarcubes/Björk, Abba). Nice stuff. The glossiness enhances the psych-trickery, and vice versa.Try 3, 47/12/12
Nile, “Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka” (Relapse, 1997)Masterpiece from late in the golden age of death metal; instead of Biblical demonology, the horror/menace here is spooky ancient Egyptians. The sound is a screeching, stuttering blur, nearl akin to some of the wilder electronic sounds of the period.Try 5, 711/10/16
Ninety-Nine, “Ninety-Nine” (Patsy, 1998 [?])Solo debut from Laura McFarlane, drummer on Sleater-Kinney’s “Call the Doctor.” This is like a blurrier bedroom-pop take on S-K’s interlocking melodic/dissonant punk structures, and is excellent.Try 2.2/28/13
The Nixe, “The Nixe” (Polly Maggoo, 2012, originally recorded 1980-81)Early Dutch punk group with a sound/feel somewhere between Liliput and the Adverts – sprung, choppy rhythms, scrappy guitar, singalong tunes, and a great dancing-in-the-ruins-of-modern civilization attitude. Try 1/1, ¼, 1/69/6/13