NEU!

NEU!'s self-titled debut is some of the most compulsive, natural (compositionally speaking) and minimalist music you could come across. Three pieces are extremely minimalist that feature nothing but bare noises that replicate things like water ripples or sunsets. As much as I detest noise pieces, NEU! seems to get away with it without sounding annoying or dull.

The longest track and debatably the most well-known track, ''Hallogallo'', is basically a ten- minute dance tune with a repetitive beat and layers of guitars and keyboards on top. It's so anti-conventional to what a prog fan would want out of their music, yet so convulsively pleasing that it doesn't really matter. Keeping the beat steady with a few variations doesn't sound complex, but it's near genious if you really pay careful attention.

''Weissensee'' is more-or-less a mood setter (makes me think shoreline) and ''Negativland'' pulls crazy tempo changes and screaming guitars well enough to make you notice. Both are not quite as classic as ''Hallogallo'', but they stamp their mark well enough.

NEU! is a hallmark album of Krautrock and is more progressive than you think; the whole packaging and sound seem to predate indie rock by about twenty years. And I'm sure Radiohead phoned in on the last track and took heavy influence from it. The music may sound straightforward, but there are more things bubbling underneath the surface if you investigate.