LET IT OUT

I like a lot of progressive music, but Kraan is the group I listen to the most--primarily because they have music that suits each type of mood. If I want experimental, I listen to their first album. If I want music to turn up loud and swill beers to, I'll turn on Wintrup or Andy Nogger. If I want fusion, they have many prime examples. If I want contemplative, watered down (not a negative for me) rock with hints of jazz I'll turn on Flyday of Through.

Let it Out isn't their best album, but it encapsulates the spirit Kraan's history. The songs are rollicking (Bandits in the Woods, Let it Out), jazzy (Luftpost, Prima Clima), experimental (Die Maschine) and watered down (Degado, Picnic International), making for an uneven album.

Still, this album is a hell of a lot of fun, and the last in their discography where Kraan seems to really "Let it Out".

That's why I like Kraan the most over the other prog groups in my collection. They obviously have fun playing whatever material is in front of them, and I find so much prog is buoyed by bombast and technicality and surreal imagery the fun gets sucked out.

An album filled with spirit that embodies the past, present, and future of this great German kollektiv.