Faust-Faust IV

Faust are a group of well known Krautrock eccentrics. Their style combined minimalism with rawness, displaying lots of fuzzy guitars and heavy rythym. Their first 3 albums were acclaimed by listeners, but sold piss poorly. With Rudolf Sonsa (Guitar, Keys, Vocals), Hans Joachim Irmler (organ), Jean-Hervé Péron (Bass), "Zappi" Diermaier (Drums), and Gunter Wüsthoff (sax, synths) this band of Germany's headed to England to record their 1973 Faust IV. The result is often considered one of the best Krautrock albums of all time.

The first track is and ode to their music, entitled "Krautrock". This song is the EMBODIMENT of minimalism, with a repeated guitar riff and keyboard for 7 whole minute before the drums even show up. Over it's 12 minute run, the track takes you into a trance like state and is one of the most enveloping works of music I've ever heard. Afterward is the humorous "The Sad Skinhead", which is a quick song that has a circus feel to it. The two contrast nicely. This is followed by the low key, "Jennifer". This song is a drone like trip, driven by the bass with a little guitar riff on top. After a while, it decays into noise. It's a strange part of this album, but one of it's highlights due to the spaciness.

Flip the album over, and we have an instrumental medley called "Just a Second" / "Picnic on a Frozen River, Deuxième Tableau", with is sort of a funk-Krautrock, as unlikely as it sounds. Electronic bird sounds abound. Then there's the bouncing "Giggy Smile", which is irreverent, bass heavy, and every minimalistic. It's the best track on the album due to it's combination of the minimalism with accessibility. "Läuft...Heißt das es läuft oder es kommt bald...Läuft" follows, which is really a violin riff with some fake french on top. The weirdness of this album just keeps coming and coming, with the finale "It's a Bit of a Pain" capping things off as an accoutic ballad on this album of tangents. It's then subverted with an ear-destroying noise in the chorus.

Faust IV is quirky. Less avant garde than its predecessors, the album finds strength by making the strange accessible. There's groove, even dancebility, to many of the parts. Not many prog rock albums have that quality. It's got all sorts of twists and changes of mood, but what it lacks in consistency it makes up for in charm.

This album is a bit like that cool old man that lives next door. Grade: A