MALESCH

The debut album from this pretty strange German band shows them from a more etno Arabic side. Or perhaps Northern African side. The album, and the albums band career of Agitation Free, starts with an Arabic prayer and then continues as a jam with the hammond organ and the electric guitars jamming over a beat laid down by the bass and the drums. This is Krautrock, but not Krautrock as we knows it.

Most of this album is pretty hypnotic and deeply mired in a mix of psychedelic avant-garde, jazz and Arabic folk music. The music is so coherent throughout that it is probably a concept album. I have not checked out if this is true or not, though. Most of the tracks starts with one instrument and then slowly builds up to fierce duels between the Hammond organ & the guitar. That makes this album pretty hypnotic.

The quality of the music is great throughout though. The best track is the rather catchy Ala Tul. The title track too is excellent. Behind this wall of hammonds and guitars, the subtleties of the music becomes pretty clear for those willing to give this album some time. I am not a big fan of Krautrock, but I am a fan of this very untypical Krautrock album. Hence my stars.

4 stars