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RIEN

Faust

Krautrock


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Faust Rien album cover
3.65 | 31 ratings | 2 reviews | 26% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 1994

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Rien (0:14)
2. ? (5:29)
3. Long Distance Calls In The Desert (4:10)
4. Eroberung Der Stille, Teil II (9:19)
5. Listen To The Fish (15:25)
6. Eroberung Der Stille, Teil I (6:54)
7. Fin (1:24)

Total time 42:55

Line-up / Musicians

- Joachim Irmler / organ (not confirmed)
- Jean-Hervé Peron / bass
- Werner Diermeier / drums

With:
- Keiji Haino / guitar
- Steven Wray Lobdell / guitar
- Michael Morley / guitar
- Ferrara Brain Pan / accidental Turkish pipe
- Erling Wold / ?

Note : The actual instrumentation could not be fully confirmed at this moment

Releases information

LP Table Of The Elements ‎- Cr 24 (1994, US)

CD Table Of The Elements ‎- Cr 24 (1994, US)

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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FAUST Rien ratings distribution


3.65
(31 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(26%)
26%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(45%)
45%
Good, but non-essential (16%)
16%
Collectors/fans only (13%)
13%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

FAUST Rien reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Syzygy
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Rien was Faust's 'comeback' album - apparently they never really went away, but it was their first release of new material in 20 years (not counting previously unissued 70s material). Comebacks can be a mixed blessing, but since their return to active service Faust have released some of their strongest material and have turned in some remarkable live performances.

The basic tracks were recorded during an American tour and were subsequently assembled into this album by Jim O'Rourke, whose contribution is at least as important as that of the two founder members. The sound is the heavy, industrial side of the original albums dragged brutally into the 90s - there are none of the acoustic interludes or eccentric fragments of song that cropped up on their early albums. Jean Herve Peron and Werner 'Zappi' Dermeier lay down dense, lumbering rhythms over which the various guest musicians weave all manner of strange and sometimes disturbing sounds. The packaging was also in keeping with the band's traditions - the 8 page booklet was a uniform blank metallic grey, and the spoken credits are the last track. Outstanding tracks include Long Distance Calls In The Desert, a field recording (from Death Valley apparently) of the band and some fans playing wind instruments in the desert night, and the 15 minute long trance-rock epic Listen To The Fish. Eroberung der Stille, Teil 2 features the palintive sound of Gorecki's Symphony No.3 gradually disappearing beneath layers of industrial noise, a piece of art terrorisim that could have misfired badly in the wrong hands but which works here, perhaps because Faust are not attacking the music itself but rather the way in which it has been appropriated as a lifestyle accessory and the way that fragments of it are used in adverts and soundtracks.

In the 20 years between Faust IV and Rien bands like Einsturzende Neubaten and Nurse With Wound had continued to explore the territory Faust had opened up with their early 70s releases, so the shock value was somewhat diminished. Despite the fact that they no longer sounded so raw and original, Rien demonstrated that they had moved with the times and remained as uncompromising as ever. Not an essential release, but highly recommended to any fans of the wilder side of Krautrock.

Review by Dapper~Blueberries
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars After a whole 20+ years of silence, only broken by small doses of archival releases, Rien was Faust's first new outing, and quite a big one to be sure. Faust could be recognized as the first band to ever make the styles that would later be gone into drone, noise, industrial, and musique concrete that groups like their home's own Einsturzende Neubauten, as well as Coil, Current 93, Natural Snow Buildings, and Sonic Youth were playing around with at this time. The name and idea that Faust was were a mere distant memory, though that memory grew into a reunion, as these dinosaurs of krautrock supremacy show a return to form from their heydays as masters of creepy drones, loops, and noises.

Compared to the predecessor of Faust IV, Rien is a stark contrast to the more smooth and laden '73 record. It is a lot more in kin to their very first record, heck it has a similar design being an all chrome record box, much like their first's all clear record box. Personally, I think the parallels make quite a lot of sense, but the chrome could signify the band knowing for certain that they aren't the fill in the blank record guys anymore, as that transparency was filled with many years of experimental music that gave way a gray, and shiny frontiers for many groups that spawned since they left the scene.

I will say that the comparison to their first goes more than just covers, and goes within the music. The music found here is a more harsh and noisy attempt at what they were doing with their first record, and The Faust Tapes, with plenty of interesting sound samples, krautrock movements, and weirdness to go around. For what they do here, I think their execution of that weird experimental sound works really nicely with the edgy industrial and drone soundscapes, especially on the title track, and Listen To The Fish.

However, this record kinda marks the point within the Faust albums where they would sometimes add in audio samples as filler. Now they certainly did this before with The Faust Tapes, an album filled with many filler bells and whistles, but that album was essentially a glorified archival release, for better or for worse. This album, however, with tracks like Long Distance Calls In The Desert, and the two Eroberung der Stille Teil, some of which being nearly 10 minutes in length, 10 minutes worth of odd samples, field recordings, and deranged speeches, makes me feel like there was a bit of wasted potential found here. I cannot be too mad, after all making these weird experimental songs is their speciality, but I still feel as though they could've added something more to these offbeat field recordings. Eroberung der Stille Teil I does a bit more, having a quite beautiful synth in the back, which I like, but doesn't quite hold up in my mind. The screaming does remind me of a Magma album though, which is quite funny.

I definitely like the production here a lot. While I may judge this album greatly for the wasted instrumentation, I cannot judge it too much as the mixing and production is some of the best in a Faust album. That is thanks to Jim O'Rourke, a spear head of sorts to the loft experimental and drone music scene. What he adds to the table here could not be understated, giving us some wonderful stereo works that fully capture precise dynamics and energies that the band might've been going for when creating this record. He's kinda like the Brian Eno to whatever music you can call this as.

My personal favorite track here is certainly Listen To The Fish, a 15 minute krautrock song that soon evolves into a droning ambiance. The beginning is pretty alright in my opinion, nothing too crazy, but nothing too bad. It soon goes into a lot more avant-garde territories, playing interesting sounds throughout, as it soon washes away into a blend of harsh noise that dissipates into quiet and beautiful ambient synth. It's a strange, but kind of pretty experience to go through, especially with headphones. Do I think it is the group's best jam? Frankly, no, but is it up there with the best? Yes, absolutely.

Rien may not be my favorite record, but it is an album that I do respect. It reunited the krautrock band that I enjoy quite greatly, and led to more fun, interesting, and crazy krautrock works. If you manage to find a copy, or a download of the album, I say you should look into it, but maybe after listening to the band's first 4 albums, just so you may be prepared for what the band delivers on here. Give it a spin if you can, you may find something that piques your curiosity.

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