Song You Need: Yann Tiersen takes NEU!’s “Lieber Honig” to new heights

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This past Friday, NEU! reissued their full catalog in one box set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 1972 self-titled debut LP. NEU! 50! also contains a 10-track, 71-minute remix album, on which a motley selection of artists reimagine the krautrock pioneers’ work. Its guest list runs the gamut from The National to Mogwai to Guerilla Toss to Idles to They Hate Change to Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor to New Order/Joy Division’s Stephen Morris in collaboration with Factory Floor’s Gabe Gurnsey. Each track offers a distinct interpretation of NEU!’s sound, a minimal yet intricate take on rock ’n’ roll envisioned by the group’s leading duo, Michael Rother and the late Klaus Dinger (both former members of Kraftwerk). But the record’s most uniquely brilliant stretch comes in the form of Breton composer and multi-instrumentalist Yann Tiersen’s rendition of “Lieber Honig,” the closing track from NEU!’s aforementioned debut.

The original version of “Lieber Honig” — the title translates from German to “Dear Honey” or “Preferably Honey” — is a loose, seemingly freeform, seven-minute cut comprising a mainly hummed vocal melody from Dinger and a guitar line from Rother that mostly mirrors the singing before descending beneath a floor of droning reverb. Save for the aqueous ambient effects that take a sublime solo during the track’s final three minutes, that’s all there is to it.

Tiersen’s take is a total rework, extending even longer than its source material (to nearly 10 minutes) but jam-packed with interlocking synthesizers. It starts off slow but the calm doesn’t last for long. The sounds build rapidly, each on top of another, until the track transcends its previous form and explodes into mesmeric verdure. For a maximalist take on a minimalist masterpiece, this is pretty much as good as it gets.