New York Press   

"The Notwist pit quaint organ treacle against overwhelming guitar whorls; fussy lyrics that would thrive on a psychoanalyst's couch are chased by galloping lunkhead distortion...instead of sounding like a rehash of the mean loud/soft loud bipolar crap, this Bavarian threesome's anvil-versus-goosedown thing comes on like a real lovers' quarrel - melancholy and luxuriant."   
 

The New York Times   

"The quartet set pop songs askew with dissonance, feedback and electronic sound effects and turned punk songs into pop by inserting contemplative gently sung passages and pristine melodies.   
Taking the atonal jams of Sonic Youth and the minimalist strumming of Unrest as a jumping-off point, the Notwist added a more riff-heavy metal edge to its songs and expanded its genre-spanning reach with keyboards and slide trombone."   

by Neil Strauss


Magnet   

"Those gargantuan percussive thumps can mean only one thing: The Germans are back! Teutonic musicians are always concealing the charms of their music beneath such distancing devices as drone, painful clang and a notorious icy precision. The Notwist, a Bavarian trio is no exception... The Notwist's honed attack is similar to that of 18th Dye, another band that forged something beninely beautiful by corrupting indie rock with live wire aggression..."   

by Gil Gershman


New Music Report   

"Like most 90's alterna-metal outfits, it'd be easy for this band to feed only on the angst within. But the trick, and the appeal, of the notwists is a formula that thrives on the awkwardness of transition: every moment of every track seems to hone in on the moments where happiness becomes discontent, where discontent becomes anger and where anger becomes rage..."   

by M. Tye Comer


The Musician's Exchange   

"...the Notwist seems to have decided to make a mockery of groups like Sonic Youth, Tool and the unfortunate flash-in-the-pan band named Hum. The Notwist certainly takes first prize in the coolest guitar leads of the whole review season with me. If you're into crunchy art music with almost singable lyrics, check [them] out..."


The Village Voice   

"Bavaria's Notwist play a pure, bass-blown groove that seeps through the eardrums and winds up pumping the blood through your chest at an alarming rate..."



Rolling Stone   

"...12 juxtaposes sedate vocals with ominous electronics, pristine pop hooks and dissonant guitar figures reminiscent of Daydream Nation-era Sonic Youth..."   

by Jon Widerhorn