FAUST

Here is something that really amazes me: I'm not into "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" and "Future Days", yet I'm into this product of freaks of nature. I don't know why, but I got the hang of the album's "musical" logic from the first listen. Everything on it is so crooked, yet it makes sense to me. All three tracks here make the record an ugly counterpart to "Close to the Edge". I don't think Frank Zappa or Ian Anderson could have come up with this as a parody on prog rock.

The tracks sound like experimental compositions rather than experimental improvisations. Think 'Supper's Ready'. It is 23 minutes long because it is constituted of seven sections. The tracks on Faust's debut have the same kind of structure, where one section follows another one. Here is a cookie, though: if you are new to Faust's work, brace yourselves; this is by far their most erratic piece of work I've ever known. Keep in mind that most likely you would have to abandon the normal logic you probably were assuming about music while growing up unless you were born into messy stuff. This is a whole another world, completely on its own, and it has nothing to do with "The Lamb" or "Future Days", from where I'm standing. Every section has its own character in terms of dynamics and musical style, which is one of the important features of the album.

Another important feature of the record is the nature of individual sounds. The album opens with a sound that I personally consider as an immortal exposition. Who else could think of opening an album like that? There is another sound on the first track that is my personal favorite, a sudden ferocious strike followed by a terrible (in a good way) roar. I like "sudden". There are plenty of other surprises on this album, which makes it even more exciting.

The tracks also sound like lengthy grotesque states of mind that probably demand your future preparation for the next time, so that you would know when to sing along with those nutjobs. The singing is even weirder than that of David Byrne from Talking Heads. The lyrics do not have to make any sense at all. It's just a compilation of awesome grooves and sounds stitched together in sequences that provide you with an aural room for turning yourself inside out (if you know what I mean), and I really like that. If you are tired of social rules and conventions, just walk back into your cave and go mental.

Keep in mind that I'm not suggesting this album as a musical equivalent of a horror movie. The way these guys incorporate elements of experimental electronica, jazz, classical music, minimalism, boogie, Italian opera, and Oriental music (what did I miss?) is, actually, funny on occasions. I believe that the whole concept behind the album is to allow you to get loose inside. If it is not, then I thank Faust for that anyway. God bless this mess.

To sum up, get this album unless you are normal. If you have lost all of your faith in it, you might as well forget about it for some time or, maybe, even eternity. In that case just stick with "The Lamb", "Future Days", or whatever other weird record that would make you feel different.

Ratings/comments (if you have to ask):

'Why Don't You Eat Carrots' - *****

'Meadow Meal' - ****

'Miss Fortune [Live]' - ***

Stamp: "I like it."

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