KRAUTROCK

You can only do so much of these albums before you kind of run out of juice, that's why this is probably one of the only Momentaufnahme records that I consider to be 'mid'. Not bad like the first one, but this certainly doesn't end this little saga of albums with a bang.

A lot of the songs here are pretty alright. I wouldn't say any of them are too bad, aside from Schwindebek III and Beglückte Schlagbohrmaschine, but also there is nothing I'd call stellar. I think 25 Yellow Doors and Das Meer might be a bit better than most of the tracks here, mainly because they are a bit interesting compared to the rest of the record. We Are The Hollow Men is also neat, almost having this proto-hip hop beat and rhythm, which I think is pretty funny since years later they would actually make a rap album. There are certainly no boring songs on here, but I do not think I quite like them as much as other songs that Faust has made.

Apologies for the more negative review, it's just I think the band is running the well dry here, and I kind of want to see more actual new recordings from them, rather than stuff that was put on shelves 50 years ago. At least this year they did release a live version of Border River off of ,,Daumenbruch'', which is pretty neat.

Best tracks: 25 Yellow Doors, Das Meer, We Are The Hollow Men

Worst tracks: Schwindebek III, Beglückte Schlagbohrmaschine

Compared to the second Momentaufnahme, this quite the improved collection of archived songs from the 70s. It's a lot longer than the prior releases, being nearly 50 minutes, as opposed to the 30 minutes that was shown before. It makes the album have a bit more meat on its bones than before, which I quite like, especially since a lot of the tracks here are quite great.

These are tracks from 71 Minutes, and some BBC sessions that the band recorded, so this isn't gonna be the most original release, especially for die hard Faust enthusiasts, but what is here works, and listening to some of these more rarer tracks in some nice quality is quite appreciated. I especially like Psalter and Baby, both quite groovy tracks, with Baby in particular reminding me a bit of the noisy, proto-punk sound of The Stooges. Guess Faust was punk before it was cool.

I also quite like the BBC sessions. They are pretty high quality, and feature three pretty good songs. However, I noticed Krautrock is a bit muddy in the drones, where you can barely hear the drums and guitars. Not a big problem, since Faust was known for doing stuff like that, and the original did something similar, so it's not the end of the world. Probably just noticed it now on that particular version.

There is still the issue of some tracks just not being good, at all, but it certainly has been toned down as opposed to I and II. There are only 3 tracks that I don't like, but that is only out of 9 other songs that I do enjoy, and they are very short so I don't really even pay attention to them. Still an issue, but certainly better than before.

A lot more quality is on here, so this is one of the better of these series of Momentaufnahme releases, at least to me. There are some great krautrock on here, and while it may not reach the heights of Faust IV or Ravvivando, I don't see the harm in seeing this as a great archival from a 50 year old band.

Best tracks: Psalter, Baby, Geister, die wir riefen (BBC Session), Stretch Out Time (BBC Session)

Worst tracks: Schwindebeck I, Schwindebeck II, Zwölf Meter unter der Oberfläche

dälek is most known for their 2002 album From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots, and if you've heard that album, like I have, you can certainly see a clear inspiration from the more unconventional side of krautrock that Faust rules with an iron fist, particular from the tracks of Spiritual Healing and Forever Close My Eyes. It also should be mentioned that Faust was very high on their industrial inspired train, and with dälek being very much a group situated in the industrial zone, it was basically a match made in heaven for both groups.

In some respects I kind of prefer this over Ravvivando, mainly because I feel it does the more long, track splitted suite better than what their previous 1999 effort did. The tracks flow better between one and another, and the effort of making this not a full on jam works wonders in its direction, especially in regards to the rapping that dälek contributes. Obviously I certainly love the jams that Faust can deliver, but having them take a back seat for more rhythmic ideals that krautrock is known for creates quite the interesting aura on the whole project.

I also find the blending of hip hop works very well with krautrock, to some extent. Krautrock has always been more of a beat heavy genre (I mean listen to Yoo Doo Right by Can), so combining rap with the genre is a pretty logical step to take for Faust, and I think they have no better output in that department than choosing dälek to be their head honcho in the hip hop ideals. Will Brooks' style of odd lyricism that blends the lines of consciousness, mystery, and humanity is quite the best puzzle piece when it comes to the musical direction that Faust was going towards in their works. It also works well due to Oktopus' production work, making each drum beat, each sample, and each element of Will's voice have a lot of weight within a stream of noise and grit. It's a sound that I very much enjoy, and a part of me wishes to hear more collabs with Faust and a variety of other experimental hip hop groups. I know for a fact that Faust and Death Grips would be an amazing combo, especially Zach Hill's drums, but I digress.

Though, there are two things that keeps this album back a bit, and firstly is that I feel like this more of a Faust album first, and a dälek album second. To me, it sounds less like a clear collaboration with both parties in the studio, and more as though dälek are merely rapping over select Faust instrumentals that they were also tasked to mix and produce. I love collaboration works when both parties can truly go hand and hand. For example, last year's collab project between JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown, Scaring the Hoes, showcases a very wonderful collaborative effort from both parties, with Peggy's rapping and production skills merging very well with the ideals that Danny Brown produces on his own records, creating a still extremely good effort, even after a year later. But here with Derbe Respect, Alder I find both parties, while certainly merging well, do not feel as if they are in brotherly arms as much as I wish they could've been, and so the effort ends up feeling one sided.

There are also just some odd decisions when it comes to tracks. I don't really get why Remnants or Erratic Thoughts are on here as they just feel like placeholders for much bigger tracks, and the whole rapping that Will does being quite muddied in most of the tracks doesn't quite help in my assumption of this being more of a Faust album then a full on combo. As much as this album shows the full potential that krautrock and hip hop can apply to both, some aspects of this feel quite missed, and I honestly believe that if the two groups strived to make this the best collaboration record in their respective discographies, than I wouldn't mind having this be a near, if not full on masterpiece, but as it stands I don't quite see it being upon the same threshold as other albums.

A great, but certainly imbalanced release from both Faust and dälek, but it is a very nice effort if you wanna see a genre fusion such as this. If you wanna hear a mix of industrial, krautrock, and hip hop, then I'd say this record is the best you're gonna get.

Best tracks: Hungry for Now, Bullets Need Violence, T-electronique

Worst tracks: Remnants, Erratic Thoughts

We get six tracks worth around 42 minutes and for the most part it's either the flute or the oboe soloing but we also get some acoustic guitar in that role. We do get piano and violin but not a lot of either plus drums, bass and percussion filling out the sound. There's an ethnic vibe for sure here and I don't want to say this is predictable music but so often it's either the flute soloing then giving way to the oboe or the other way around. This is all instrumental and for the record "Tour De Trance" had vocals.

Just not my kind of music, I find this very difficult to enjoy, listening is a chore. Such a cool story though as they went from playing on the streets to playing in packed buildings.

This record would show a stylistic direction that the group would go through into the 21st century. Their 90s output had been a lot more industrial, most likely due to the golden age industrial music seemed to garner within the late 80s through 90s, though they felt more like experimentations that had a slight industrial backing. Here, though with Ravvivando, we get a full deep dive into the more industrial Faust sound that was slightly explored within Rien and You Know FaUSt. Imagine, if you will, if Na Sowas was an entire album.

This album is a nearly hour long jam of industrialized proportions, with each song going into each other in what I think to be rather seamless fashions, sort of making this a bit of Faust's late answer to The Dark Side Of The Moon, being this one massive epic of psychedelia, noise, and raw catharsis.

I feel like where You Know FaUSt suffered with the noise, Ravvivando truly enjoys it, creating this lo-fi soundscape of drones and climatic industrialization. While it is certainly loud, I never find myself fully out of sync with the music, as the tracks just have this edge that makes this entire workout feel a lot more right within its noisiness. The production work also helps I think, having this lo-fi aura around it that makes the noise rock of this record feel a lot more sublime, and certainly innovative as I could see some parallels from this to something of the caliber of more modern day slacker rock groups like Car Seat Headrest and The Microphones. Probably not to the same degree as those groups, but the parallels a lot of Faust records seem to have in modern experimental music is quite staggering.

The atmosphere of this album is also exciting too. A lot of Faust albums have this aura of mystery and intrigue to them, keeping you second guessing what the band might do next (aside from You Know FaUSt). Ravvivando, I feel like, flips this mysterious feeling on its head, having the mystery be less on what this crazy band might do from track to track, but rather what they'll do within the storm, and I find it to be really awesome as it allows the group to experiment in a more real time effort, much more than with prior albums, even in respects to my all time favorite of Faust Wakes Nosferatu.

However, there is one thing I think draws this album back and that is I find the more suite-like nature of this album to not be for the best. I certainly enjoy it when a band or group decides to make a full work that is one long song, but I find Faust to not really handle that idea properly to the same degree. I find when Faust does make a jam that is rather long, they're best marks are usually within the 20 minute marks, so having an album that is essentially one massive jam is exciting, but certainly after a while does start to feel tiring a bit.

I also think there is some fat on this album that might need to be trimmed. Carousel is honestly quite unnecessary, and the combo of Spiel and Dr' Hansl just doesn't quite work for me. They feel more like unnecessary gimmicks for this record, rather than playing within the overall experience.

However, the tail end of Livin' Tokyo and T-Electronique does make up for this record's shortcomings, as those are some of the better industrial Faust songs they have released within the 90s due to their rather mystical aura.

Overall, Ravvivando is one of the best Faust releases they made from their comeback in the 90s, and certainly one of the best since Faust IV and The Last LP. It is a bit on the bigger side, for better and for worse, but the experience is overall very positive. Certainly recommended for fans of more abrasive music, and for fans of the noise rock scene of the 20th century.

Best tracks: Wir brauchen dich #6, Livin' Tokyo, T-Électronique

Worst tracks: Carousel, Spiel, Dr' Hansl

Pleasantly surprised, much better than expected!! To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect from a late 80's Can album, but I can say for sure the artwork doesn't give the slightest hint to how much fun this album is, it's one you can feel they were surly having a good time laying down! There's no late 80's junk on here, this is a well constructed and played album.

The recording quality is good, clean with lots of space between the instruments, open and balanced, Holger Czukay's bass tone is lovely, Jaki Liebezeit's playing is fairly sparse and only occasionally are some sprinkles of prime Can rhythms drifting through, though he's an excellent player he plays these basic grooves with great feel! I'm a big fan of restrained guitar and there's loads of nice funk twinkled parts on here.

There's an immense control and discipline in the playing on the whole, minimalistic with everything in the mix sounding deliberate in it's usage, the players parts compliment each other greatly and no one steps on the others toes.

Definitely not an album to dismiss without giving a fair chance first!

Laddio Bolocko was a short-lived American Krautrock band founded in 1996 that released 1 EP and 2 albums during its short career, with the infamous Strange Warmings of Laddio Bolocko being their debut album and what I'm going to talk about, I can say that of all the albums of Krautrock that I've tried so far, this is the most unique due to one factor that can put off many listeners: noise, right on the first track ''Goat Lips'' already attacks, demonstrating very well what the album will be like, the mix is quite loud, emphasizing the noise, and along with that, aggressive Krautrock with passages of Math Rock, Psychedelic, and Jazz and Noise Rock, the noise in Strange Warmings is what makes this album even more dynamic, giving substance for the track, I absolutely love ''Goat Lips'', a fantastic introduction, very dynamic and raw, the musicians are very talented, Blake Fleming is an incredible drummer, and I like how Drew St. Ivany guitar is so versatile and Ben Armstrong bass is great and pretty groovy and heavy.

The album always has something new to offer on each track, constantly loud and constantly innovative, ''Call Me Jesus'' is just as loud as the previous track, with a big focus on drums being probably the most noisy on the album, ''Nurser '' is very, VERY hypnotic and macabre, seriously, riffs with constant 23/8 changes that after such noisy and overwhelming sections comes the middle of the song which is an extensive atmospheric session that is simply scary, after these 3 strident tracks comes the ''The Man Who Never Was'' is less noisy, and more raw and quite jazzy and surprisingly featuring Marcus DeGrazia on saxophone, his playing is very dissonant and strange, which is really cool, and after this track he is quite present, ''Dangler'' and ''Y toros'' are very impressive epics, ''Dangler'' once again showing how much Blake, Marcus and Ben in ''Dangler'' show how much they are capable of, each doing his best, and then comes the last track on the album ''Y toros'', the longest of 30 minutes, a great hypnotic epic, Ivany returns with his riffs that alternate between strange and dynamic and atmospheric, the track as a whole is very impressive, here things get more explosive again, and at all times I paid attention, amazing and a worthy final track.

Strange Warmings of Laddio Bolocko is fantastic, every moment of the album is rich, and the Noise Rock elements are very well implemented, giving this album a very unique factor both inside and outside Krautrock, the tracks are dynamic, everything is very hypnotic and innovative, it's easily one of the best albums I've heard this year, the only thing that might put many people off listening to this album is precisely how noisy it is, very noisy, however, if you like it or you're okay with it, and If you want something different, I highly recommend it, a fantastic album from start to finish.

10/10

Their energetic play opens fully from the beginning of "Prolog" featuring fuzzy dizzy guitar sounds and rough tough drumming plus colourful subtle keyboard seasoning. No complicated rhythmic basis nor quirky melody line can be heard but their explosive power, intensive productivity and unwavering creativity completely swallow us. Crazy dissonance with no-good techniques is also essential, leaning towards "Flesh-Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm". On the contrary, the first noisy bullets of "Requiem der Natur" are good electronic prescriptions. Although the combination of keyboard plays and choirs is cheesy and fragile, the bluesy hard rock paragraph in the middle part sounds slightly improvisational, and deep heavy sound avalanches on the last run are quite hyper-psychic.

The third titled track rapidly takes us back to dynamic hard-rock-ish realism. Sounds like every Necronomiconer plays full of comfort and pleasure. It could be called sorta typical shoegaze rock. Not bad to hear that this song has no special progressiveness nor innovation despite the fact the title of this album is named after it. "Die Stadt" is another heavy madness. Mysterious (and poor) scat is quite unique, and battles of keyboards, guitars, and drums in the middle phase are simple and non-ingenious but aggressive and vivacious. Wonderful is their delicious, appealing play. Also fantastic is a rare acoustic ending. The epilogue "Requiem Vom Ende" holds ritual, spiritual feelings even in the traditional blues heavy rock background. Largely hear Rufus Zuphall-like matured vibes. So, it's understandable the incomplete stressful reverberations are bizarre

Anyway, it was very surprising to bump into such a legendary Krautrock album like this on Bandcamp Page. Nicey.

I'm sorry for this review for the fact this awful album cover has to be on the front page here for a while. I want to give my top three but I want to mention the opener, the title track just for the fact that it is so catchy on the chorus that it constantly got stuck in my head. Not a fan. First top three is "Don't Waste Your Time" another energetic vocal track, lots on here. But this is the best of those. The guitar lights it up before 2 minutes and we get some organ as well.

Second top three is "Got To Find A Way" and it's the longest at over 6 1/2 minutes. This is uptempo with organ and guitar over top. Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in. Guitar solo of course but this is the most proggy tune on here and I really enjoy it. "Reflections Part 1" sounds really good when it kicks into gear before a minute. As usual we get a guitar solo but man this has to be my favourite track of the bunch. There is a part 2 but it starts out sounding nothing like part 1 at first but then quickly changes to being exactly like part 1.

I can't even say blue apple without getting stuck with that song in my head. Another good record from these guys but I much prefer the self titled debut which has better songs and vocals despite missing the keyboards.