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Einsturzende Neubauten, "Strategies Against Architecture IV: 2002-2010"
At first, this fourth entry in Neubauten’s long running compilation series looks like a waste of money for those who have been following their online supporter projects and a godsend for those who have missed out on the plethora of limited albums the band have produced in the last decade. On closer inspection, while the vast majority of the material exists in some form or other on the original albums, most of the versions here are alternate takes, mixes or live versions. While not a perfect compilation, there is a lot here for new and veteran fans alike.
Someone like me, who has bought everything the band has put out, will not feel cheated by Strategies Against Architecture IV. There are enough stones left unturned to make this into a worthwhile investment. Needless to say, if you are reading this and have no clue about Neubauten’s supporter projects or Musterhaus subscription series then you are in for a treat. The material can be split into three main categories: songs from Neubauten’s main "public" albums (Perpetuum Mobile, Alles Wieder Offen, and Jewels); songs that have up until now been restricted to those who subscribed to their various online projects; and songs that have either never officially seen the light of day.
While songs from the first grouping will be most familiar, Neubauten have included alternative and live versions where possible. Some of the tracks feel a bit throwaway to me such as the radio edit of "Perpetuum Mobile" which is too short to fully convey the song’s concept. However, alternative takes of already rare songs like "Tagelang Weiss" and "Dead Friends (Around the Corner)" more than make up for this minor shortfall. The live version of "Youme & Meyou" from the group’s 25th anniversary concert in Vienna demonstrates how the band developed their songs on the road; here they distill the feelings behind song into a concentrate of beautiful imagery.
Songs from the supporter projects and the Musterhaus subscription series have been long treated as exclusive status symbols for many fans, many an argument erupted on Neubauten’s site about whether the group would be selling out by breaking their promise to paying supporters and making these songs available to a wider audience. I have always felt that everyone should have access to this music (and they do thanks to the freeloaders of the Internet) because it is some of the most vibrant and exciting music Neubauten has ever done. "Insomnia" and "X" both formed a substantial tract of the first supporters album and the latter is included here with alternative vocals care of Wir Sind Helden’s Judith Holofernes. Elsewhere, sections from the Grundstueck album and tour show exactly how relevant Neubauten still are. "GS1" and "GS2" are mindbogglingly brilliant, the group shining as brightly as that kalte sterne burned 30 years ago.
The unreleased material varies in quality, it very much feels like the best studio offcuts were already used to bulk out the supporter project and Musterhaus releases. "Party in Meck-Pomm" is a silly, almost throwaway piece but worth including to show what kind of things the band get up to in the studio when left to their own devices. A new remix of "Weil Weil Weil" is better than any of the ones on the Weil Weil Weil EP but is not exactly the highlight of Strategies Against Architecture IV. "Waiting for the Call" is the most substantial of the unreleased pieces, a collage of two live improvisations showing a glimpse of a song that might have been. Starting out as an amorphous gurgling, it suddenly sprouts legs and strides decidedly from a forgettable improvisation into a tantalisingly good song. It is a shame they never followed up on it.
Anyone who knows me or reads Brainwashed regularly will know that Neubauten have always been a group I have been passionate about. Therefore it is hard to listen back to these songs with an objective, critical ear as the music is so intertwined with some of my dearest memories such as being part of Neubauten’s Social Choir at the Palast Der Republik, the friendships made through the supporters project and watching the webcasts of most of this material being written and recorded in the first place. Yet, listening back to these two CDs and pushing those memories aside, Strategies Against Architecture IV shows how strong Neubauten still are despite the repeated claims by old school purists who insist that everything after Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T. or Halber Mensch has been rubbish.
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