Krautrock lovers may rejoice to learn that a tribute album to seminal German electro-rockers Neu! is on the way. To be sure, the short-but-stellar career of Neu! is something to be celebrated. However, we feel it behooves us to issue a few caveats about its contents. The album, Brand Neu!, is reportedly being issued on May 11 as the first release on Feraltone, an imprint of the Gronland label. As Gronland is the label that so lovingly reissued the original Neu! albums, the hearts of those involved are undoubtedly in the right place, but a few things give us pause. For one, shouldn't a Neu! tribute actually contain some Neu! songs? Instead of covering classic Neu! tracks, the bands involved seem to have contributed songs influenced by their Krautrock heroes, with the exception of a solo cut by Neu!'s Michael Rother and a track from post-Neu! project La Dusseldorf. 

Additionally, while Primal Scream, Sonic Youth, Holy Fuck, and LCD Soundsystem are certainly logical participants in such a project, pardon us if we get a little queasy at the prospect of Oasis and Kasabian adding their two cents. And on top of that, a number of the tracks are apparently previously released, rather than being expressly created for (or exclusively included on) this collection. So while we acknowledge the enormous service Gronland has done  for humanity be making the original Neu! catalog available again, we'd have to venture a guess that only the most hardcore adherents of the band (or perhaps of their featured admirers) would seem to be well served by what's promised here.

P.S.  Were David Bowie, Brian Eno, Stereolab, and Suicide busy, or did they not return phone calls?

Brand Neu! track listing:

Ciccone Youth (Sonic Youth): "Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening to Neu!"
Primal Scream: "Shoot Speed / Kill Light"
Pets with Pets: "We Only Found This Place"
Oasis: "I Can See It Now"
Foals: "Titan Arum"
Cornelius: "Wataridori"
Holy Fuck: "Super Inuit"
LCD Soundsystem: "Watch the Tapes"
Kasabian: "Stuntman"
School of Seven Bells: "Device fuer M"
Fujiya & Miyagi: "Electro Karaoke"
Hook & the Twin: "They'll Get Your Head"
La Dusseldorf: "Sketch 1_08"
Michael Rother: "Neutronics 98"

[Pitchfork]