FAUST IV

FAUST were one of the most radical and experimental bands you'll ever hear. I'm shocked that Virgin Records actually signed them to a contract (haha). Compared to their first two albums though I suppose this is less experimental but far from being accessible.

The first song called "Krautrock" is a great way to start with the electronics droning along with that hypnotic beat with guitar being repeated over and over. Drums to the fore 7 minutes in. "The Sad Skinhead" has a reggae beat after the yelling that opens the song. There are funny lyrics about being a skinhead like "Going places, smashing faces, what else could we do." Ok, maybe they're not that funny (haha). "Jennifer" is a reserved song with laid back vocals 2 minutes in. It gets an almost rag-time feel with the piano later, along with some experimental sounds before that. Cool track that brings some of the more recent ("In Rainbows" & "The King Of Limbs") RADIOHEAD albums to mind. So this is where they got their latest sound. The earlier stuff sounds like CAN. Just sayin'. "Just A Second (Starts Like That !)" has a nice heavy sound with some good guitar. Then some experimental sounds take over before 2 minutes. "Picnic On A Frozen River, Deauxieme Tableaux" is catchy with sax 2 1/2 minutes in that goes on and on. Guitar after 4 minutes as the pace picks up. Great tune. "Giggy Smile" has the sounds of people talking to open as acoustic guitar comes in. This is really good. Almost spoken vocals come in. Experimental sounds follow. The next song (7) has no melody just different spacey sounds. "It's A Bit Of A Pain" features acoustic guitar, keys and vocals before we get some experimental noises (surprise) that come and go. Some female spoken words and aggressive guitar.

As much as this album is more polished than their first two albums, it's the experimental sounds that have never changed with this band. I guess this is their signature sort of speak. For the adventerous.