Formed over 10 years ago, Germany's The Notwist have been little known on these shores, hardly surprising considering that 'Neon Golden' is their first UK release. To most ears they sound like a group of young pretenders destined to usurp Tarwater's crown as Teutonic electronic kings de jour. In truth there's a lot more to The Notwist than this, due in no small part to their employment of other musical forms. 'Trashing Days' and the title track both use country guitars alongside the more typical electronics. Rather than being cold and distant The Notwist add layers of melody to their music and it's this which make 'Pilot' and 'Pick Up The Phone' wonderfully warm alt-pop records. Variety is on show too, with 'This Room's harsher, bass heavy rhythms (not unlike The Aloof) contrasting with 'One With The Freaks', a yearning melody that recalls the modern alt-rock stylings of Lowgold. Interesting to know what their earlier work was like but The Notwist have certainly conquered the 'difficult sixth album' riddle.