Neu

by Jason Lymangrover Will there be punk rock in 2050? Polysics pummels this question with an authoritative, "one, two, three, go!" before exploding into a crushing blast of spastic energy accented by insane, hiccupping electronic sound effects. The songs are concise, melodic and bursting with a twisted, angular intensity. If Cornelius was set on fire while fronting Brainiac, or Melt Banana was playing Wire and Devo covers in an arcade, it would probably sound something like this. Neu is marvelous, messy, and manic, with ballistic circus beats under fit-inducing raw crunches of guitar and psycho screams that may be too much for those prone to epilepsy. The pace is exhausting and the electronic squelches can border on annoying, but just when things start spinning out of control on Neu, the sleek, "What" brings the BPM down to half-speed for three-and-a-half minutes with a vocoder and sexy funk bass over a sound that resembles a dying Colecovision. Just before the song completely settles, it slams into an overdriven combination of synth loops, drum crashes, raging guitar, and a Japanese imitation John Lydon. There is a touch of camp factor involved, especially on the animé-influenced "Black out Fall Out," but the sugary cuteness balances out the raw, hard-to-stomach caffeine bursts for a wonderfully twisted adrenaline cocktail. If you are a fan of convulsive and hyperactive post-punk/new wave inspired music turned up full blast, treat yourself to a dose of this record. But, like coffee, it's well advised to start with just a little taste and work your way up from there: too much Polysics for a first-timer can result in a headache or a nervous twitch.