CYCLOPEAN

Now here is a little bit of magic. Just four percussion-centred vignettes totalling 22 minutes. They were put together in the French studio of Irmin Schmidt, founder and keyboardist of Can. Schmidt's tasteful and ephemeral touches are everywhere, but the music is unquestionably dominated by the light percussion of former Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit. Despite being in his 70's by this recording, Liebezeit still plays like a metronome. In fact, at first I thought he was a programmed drum synthesizer, an assumption from the presence of Burnt Friedman (real name Bernd Friedmann), who I know only as a member of David Sylvian's group Nine Horses. Actually that band's 'Money for All' (2006) is the closest sound I know to 'Cyclopean'.

This EP is worth investigating by anyone interested in either great percussionists, or the Krautrock band Can. The dynamic of Cyclopean's musicians is fundamentally that of Can, with Liebezeit's extraordinary drumming anchoring weird and wonderful explorations by a brilliant entourage. There are some historical instrumental contraptions in play, a 'prepared piano', a rubber-band guitar, and a 'theremin' (possibly the weirdest instrument ever invented - look it up). Actually the late Keith Emerson can be seen playing a theremin in the DVD of his 'Moscow' (2010) concert (at the close of 'Lucky Man').

Verdict: Perhaps we miss a certain Japanese vocalist singing random lyrics, but a brilliant and dignified late opus for a pair of Krautrock masters.