BEZIEHUNGEN

The least you can say is that this album doesn't sound anything like what you might expect from the artwork. It may look like a bunch of hippies on a symphonic loveboat through space, but the music is almost entirely free-jazz, abandoning much of the delicious psychedelic jazz-rock from the debut.

When touring their Osmose album, Annexus Quam gradually turned towards experimental jazz music, abandoning drums and electric instruments for a primarily free improvisational style. In doing so they sure progressed far outside their fans' comfort zone, who hurried to abandon the sinking ship. It's quite a bit out of my way as well, but after continuing to digest this album in small portions, I've really come to like it.

Things start out quite welcoming with the beautiful Trobluhs el E Isch, a melancholic duet of trombone and sax, later joined by jazzy guitar chords and some melodious bass and percussion.

It doesn't warn the listener for the disturbing free jazz that follows. Leyenburg is a 20 minute improvisation (divided in two parts) without any structure, tonal restpoint or soothing harmonies. Instead it offers snappy disconnected shreds of melody and sounds that clash about in irregular and unpredictable ways, an instrumental "Trout Mask Replica" is the closest comparison I can think off. Now I can't tell you why, but somehow it works for me. The seemingly random dialogue between the instruments creates a new sort of language that - even if unintelligible - still is striking and intriguing.

Dreh Dich Nicht Um has similar free jazz traits in the middle section, but it also offers pleasant acoustic guitar arpeggios in the long opening and closing sections. The lazy-hazy psych mood of it reminds of Mythos and Dom, two other obscure Kraut bands inspired by the dreamy pastoral side of early Floyd.

Beziehungen is an awkward album for Prog Archives, the tracks vary between uncompromising free-jazz and abstract psychedelic experiments that, even for most kraut and jazz-rock fans, will be very much a hit or miss. Approach at your own risk.