BEAK> - BEAK>

Passive readers of certain mainstream music publications may have noticed an increasingly recurring namedrop recently: 1970s krautrock daddies Neu! are cool again. Chiefly responsible for the trend is Portishead's Geoff Barrow who, having had a big hand in two of the most kraut-tastic comebacks in recent memory (Third and The Horrors' Primary Colours), is at it again with BEAK>. In what must be a deliberate reaction to the lengthy incubation of Third, BEAK> was written and recorded in 12 days, using only live takes. The result is a strikingly minimal debut LP that at first feels exciting and accomplished, until the absolute adherence to well-worn formulas of taut motorik beats, Can basslines and ghost train organ drones begin to dull the edge. While it is great to hear the vibes of West Berlin in '67 recreated with such deft precision, it's at times a little too familiar and static to fully lose oneself in. [Ian Crichton]