YETI

I first heard this when I was in high school, when I first learned about "Krautrock." Amon Duul II was maybe the most alluring of the Krautrock bands I heard about, from their mysterious, sequalised name, to their communist lifestyle, to their colourful album covers and imagery. They immediately become enshrined in my mind as one of the craziest bands I'd ever heard of.

When I got around to actually listening to them, I wasn't disappointed at all. I think at the time I first listened to 'Phallus Dei' and then 'Yeti.' Yet, this album fell short of the high expectations I'd gotten through browsing reviews in books and online music sites. 'Phallus Dei' felt like the stronger release to me then, and 'Yeti' took up in my memory as being somewhat overhyped.

Revisiting this album now, about 15 years later - I think I listened to 'Yeti' in intervening years, though it didn't really leave an impact - I'm hearing it fresh, and I think it's probably stronger than I gave it credit for. The last half of the album is admittedly bogged by aimless jamming, but I guess that's part of what makes AD II the band they are. Long on duration, rich in imagery and aesthetic, only a bit shorter on content.

The front half of the album comes running right out the gate. I won't review each individual track, but will only comment on the overall sound of the band and the album here.

The guitar is very distinctive, crunchy, playing many quick chords - I think I hear two guitars, and Wikipedia confirms there are two guitarists. The bass often plays quick, arcing lines. And the drums almost constantly play a skittering, driving beat. There is a violin in many of the songs, giving the band a slightly more rustic sound. The production helps it all gel in an appealing way. Compositionally, one of my favourite things about AD II, which they do a lot, is to sink into long, jammy sections, feeling very free and loose and organic. Then they break suddenly into more composed, melodic sections, always with those distinctive guitars leading the way. This quick contrast of sections is aurally intriguing and pleasing. And from track to track there is enough variation to keep it interesting. The final half of the album, while not bad, doesn't have the same tight transitions that were, to me, the most enjoyable aspect of the album. All in all, I'll be listening again. Very good album.