Can EGE BAMYASI. Mute

It’s rather unusual to receive four albums to review from one band at one time. But that’s precisely what happened here. Three of the albums are remastered editions, while the fourth (EGE BAMYASI) is a new release. Can is a band I know nothing about and so it’s quite interesting to offer a fresh review about material that is in most part vintage.

EGE BAMYASI

The name of the album is about as strange as the music that it represents. However, strange to me often means fascinating, and this is no exception. The album opens with Pinch, a rambling, jagged song with random indecipherable vocals and the most weird and wonderful instrumental backdrop of mainly percussive sounds. It’s a rhythmic feast without a hint of melody, that continues on its tortured route for well over nine minutes. Ultimately it’s a sonically stunning experience and provides proof positive that Can is a band that follows its own instincts which are not necessarily commercial. The next track, Sing Swan Song is a gently loping song of more conventional character. It’s also full of emotional intensity with a deathly ambience you could slice with a knife. The instrumental sounds are superb, very cinematic and again are largely percussive. The next track, One More Night provides more insight into the way the guys approach their music. There’s a mix of genres in this musical melting pot including jazz, blues, soul, rock, and Samba, with innovative use of guitars that weave in and out of a heavily percussive composition. The quite extraordinary sounds continue with the Tex-Mex flavour of Vitaminc C which provides a seamless entry to the jagged rocky ten minute, avant-garde opus, Soup. The overall result is a weird and wonderful album that is beautifully produced with stunning sound quality, and musical adventure oozing out of every groove.

4/5

TAGO MAGO, MONSTER MOVIE, SOUNDTRACKS. Spoon Records

These three 60’s/70’s Can remasters (which can be played on SACD and CD players) provide a fascinating panoramic view of the band’s music during the period. The most interesting CD to me is SOUNDTRACKS that includes music from the films CREAM, DEADLOCK, BOTTOM, DEEP END and MADCHEN MIT GEWALT. The film music exposes a more conventional side of the band, while the sleeve notes confirm that it was this music that kept the band afloat financially. Sonically stunning (as are all three remasters), melodic, rhythmic (the fourteen-minute long Mother Sky provides a fascinating example of the band’s repetitive rhythmical approach and is the pick of the songs); diverse of pace and mood; the songs are able to stand alone as inventive but accessible rock compositions. TAGO MAGO introduces vocalist Damo Suzuki to the band following Malcolm Mooney’s nervous breakdown, and takes rock music into hitherto unexplored areas. While song structures are complex, opening track Paperhouse illustrates how the band’s instrumental interplay is capable of weaving magical musical patterns. This particular song also possesses a jazzy improvisational feel and includes magnificent guitar riffs, and some quite incredible drum work. The third album MONSTER MOVIE was originally released in the late 60’s and is a more experimental, psychic affair exemplified by final track Yoo Doo Right (a distillation from a twelve-hour improvisation session) which features Irmin Schmidt’s astonishing techno keyboard work.