Among other things, Germany is stereotypically known for its beer and its penchant for existential angst. Though it seems natural to assume that these two characteristics are linked, they tend to be enjoyed separately: read Kafka by day, chant "eins, zwei, g'suffa!" with drinking buddies by night. However, on "Selbstportrait mit Kater (Selfportrait with Hangover)", Einstürzende Neubauten make a point to combine the things we love best about Deutschland in a fantastically disorienting stomp.

Despite their tag as makers of infernal noise, Neubauten's secret strength has always been in the restraint they show when mangling their instruments. Here, the song's punchline rests on the band's spare use of rhythm. Over tiptoeing bass and keys, vocalist Blixa Bargeld laments the morning after, complete with trembling hands and missing memories. If Blixa's quiet self-examination acts as the song's conscience, the beat is his damaged nervous system, violating relative silence with a monstrous headkick of a bass drum. At one point, when Herr Bargeld shouts out "water!," describing the morning detox-shock of splashing water on his face, the group responds with a resounding crash. The use of sound-as-metaphor is generally nothing new for Einstürzende Neubauten, but here they show their awareness of it within the context of a single beat.

Later, the percussion picks up steam, and the group gets all cosmic on us, chanting, "Life on other planets is difficult." I'm not exactly sure what they mean; perhaps the raising of our beer steins gives us an unlikely advantage over the rest of the universe, even when our bodies tell us otherwise.