C'EST COM... COM... COMPLIQUÉ

Funny, I was never big fan of noises, nonsense music, avant garde in popular way of this word (I like my nation's avant-garde music), or hypnotic music. And that's exactly what this is. But I decided long time ago to be fair, somehow. This is their roughly 40th year of existence, but it don't mean much in this kind of music. Normal prog rock can grow old, senile and commercial, as band do the same thing (except 2nd attribute), but not krautrock. So I'm not against the style itself, but I evaluate how this record sounds, what innovation it brings, melody, vocal, instrument, composition factor etc.

"Accroché à Tes Lèvres" 's best part is last minute, where more instruments starts to play. They finally show some emotions, not just monotone melody disrupted occasionally by shouts of singer. And other tracks, well, I have to say that there are ideas. "Petits Sons Appétissants" is very good, with different variety of sounds used. Yes, this is one of these one-listen, instant-reply reviews, which I write from time to time. And after all, I may be grateful and give better rate better, than I intended before (three minus or even two plus). Complique as complicated (or Czech komplikovane, which is quite same, just c=k and suffix "ane") I suppose. "Bonjour Gioacchino" is maybe repetitive, but original. No, it's just not my cup of tea (and by this I don't mean that I don't like it, I do a little bit, but I see little progress here, therefore not so prog), but still good candidate for

3(+), if you like repeating music, add 1 star

Since returning to the public eye in the early 1990s, this legendary Krautrock collective has been a lot more prolific than I would have expected. I remember when Rien hit the shelves, and I thought it was a miracle that such a mercurial and fleeting band (their early 70s heyday lasted just a few years) would actually return to create new music that was, if such a thing is possible, even more far-out than the music for which they achieved their notoriety. But back they were, and Rien was such a difficult listen (lots of abstract noise and lots of silence, even more so than the typical Faust album) that I thought for a while that the band's subsequent releases might not interest me that much, so I stopped following them. However, several years later I took the plunge and found that Faust had indeed returned to the adventurous Krautrock spirit they helped define, and were continuing down their old path while pushing in new directions at the same time.

This album is one of their most sophisticated releases, not exactly accessible, but with a depth and texture that is sometimes lost in their more strident material. The overall mood is somber and subdued, with lots of drones underscoring slow robotic beats, spoken lyrics, and gently buzzing synths. It's not all monochromatic, happily: variety appears in tracks such as "Petits Sons Appetissants", a gently sung waltz with acoustic guitar and piano accompaniment. And it's not all quiet, as the heavy droning pulse of "Bonjour Gioacchino" will attest. The longer tracks, however, are generally quieter and more contemplative than the average Faust tune. I hesitate to say "Faust Lite", but when you consider Faust's legacy, that still allows for some pretty avant garde stuff, and that's in fact what we have here. It's just dressed up in smoother textures than their more "out" albums (e.g. The Faust Tapes).

I think this album would appeal to fans of "So Far" and "Faust IV". It's a great example of Faust's continued vitality in the new millenium. It doesn't try to replicate the music of their past, but it doesn't leave it behind, either. It's a continuation of where they have been going all along, forward along their own path. The fact that they now sound more contemporary than they did in the 1970s is probably evidence that the rest of the music world is only now coming around to the novel ideas they brought to the table so long ago.

Disconnected marked Faust's disconnect (pun fully intended) from the more industrial side of the coin with their sound. Thus, albums moving forward would showcase a new kind of Faust that played a bit more to their olden krautrock roots, but still dabbled in interesting experiments nonetheless.

Their 2009 release of C'est com...com...compliqué is, in my opinion, one of their best releases since Faust Wakes Nosferatu. While they have released a lot of pretty great records since then, they never quite reached to that same top that Nosferatu gave, and while this still doesn't quite give me that same particular high, it does get pretty close.

For starters, I really enjoy the more classic krautrock style on here. While Faust is known for moving forward, I think the more neutral stylings here suit it quite well, a possible revitalization, to show a younger generation a good step into the world that Faust had built within their 30+ year existence. You get some of the longer jams such as Kundalini Tremolos and the title track, as well as some of the band's more groovy (and personal favorite) tracks like Accroché à tes lèvres and En veux-tu des effets, en voilà. This album has a good mix of great songs that show off what Faust can truly do, even without the more standard of them trying a lot of new things.

Still, even though they are moving backwards in direction, they still continue on, as this album has a neat, more post-rock adjacent mood. I wouldn't say it is of the same vein as Mogwai or This Will Destroy You when it comes to post rock music, but I can certainly hear fascinations of Tortoise and Slint here and there, which Faust incorporates quite amazingly on here, giving the whole experience a bit more of a modern feeling.

Also this record includes some beats and moments that were originally recorded for Disconnected, like Lass Mich. To be honest, the album is much better without the introduction of Nurse With Wound. It feels a lot more fulfilling to be honest, and while I may prefer the longer version of Lass Mich off of Disconnected, this original version of the song does create a nice, comfy atmosphere that I feel was needed after a couple great jams.

The only real downside of this album is Stimmen, the fourth track. It kind of wouldn't be a Faust album without a track that is pretty bad, and while it doesn't at all ruin this amazing record, it does grind my gears a bit with how annoying it is. Do yourself a favor and skip this song, as the album is honestly much healthier without it.

The moving away from industrial music, while sad, was a healthy step in the right direction for our German friends, and quite frankly C'est com...com...compliqué proves it tenfold by still introducing a fun, more modern incarnation of the krautrock sound that blends the classical sides of Faust IV and The Faust Tapes, with new generational twists and turns. Highly recommend checking this one out. Hell I'd say listen to it for the cover alone. I like the kitties :3

Best tracks: Accroché à tes lèvres, En veux-tu des effets, en voilà, C'est com...com...compliqué

Worst tracks: Stimmen