WOLF CITY

Wolf City was my introduction to the shimmering and rippling realms of Amon Duul II. Its innovativity and distinctiveness struck me on first listen, despite the album is more structured and less laden with experimentation than albums such as Yeti. Therefore, the album might be easier to listen to that earlier releases, which makes it from my experience a great introduction to Amon Duul II.

Despite these tighter and more conventional song structures, Wolf City still features plenty of experimentation and eclectic influences. Most notable are for this are the spectacular and dynamic "Jail-House Frog" and the intense "Deutsch Nepal" with its fiercely spoken lyrics. Despite most of the other tracks being less focused on experimentation, they still are very distinctive for Amon Duul II. From the dark "Surrounded By the Stars", with its fierce fiddling, intense vocals and flamenco influenced chord changes we move to the more benign "Green-Bubble-Raincoated-Man" and the ethnic "Wie Der Wind". Also notable is the broad range of vocals on the album, varying from gentle and melodic on "Sleepwalker's Timeless Bridge" to the harsh and intense, yet very likable vocals of Renate Knaup on the first two tracks. The latter might be an acquired taste though.

Another thing I like about Amon Duul II, which becomes very clear of this album, is the line- up and the frequent collaborations with guest-musicians. Often the lead guitarist John Weinzieri plays some easygoing molodies with vocals on top of them; Lothar Meid plays some very dynamic bass and is not afraid to hit some high notes every now and then; the synths vary from choir-like mellotron to roaring organ; and there is frequent use of exotic instuments, like the sitar and ethnic percussion.

Wolf City is an excellent album by Amon Duul II. I might prefer Yeti over it, but it is an excellent and recommended starting point nevertheless. There is not too much negative to say about the album, though it might be notable to say that its flow gets a tad inconsistent because of switching between more tightly composed songs and more experimental pieces frequently. Also, the songwriting on the second half isn't as strong as on the first half in my opinion. Therefore, I think Wolf City deserves three and a half stars, rounded down to three stars.