FAUST IS LAST

I kind of lied about Faust moving away from industrial music in my review for C'est Com...Com...Compliqué, since they had one more trick up their sleeve in terms of intriguing industrial experiments, with their 2010 release of Faust Is Last being a smorgasbord of noisy rock n' roll and ambience.

This is easily the longest Faust record yet, containing an hour and a half worth of music, with 22 tracks to boot. The album is split into two CDs, Faust A and Faust Z, both being kind of their own albums in their own right.

Faust A is a lot more related to their krautrock jams within their industrial era, and probably some of the best tracks the album has to offer. I think there is quite a bit to enjoy on this first CD, having tracks that range from the more quiet and smooth laden Rien, to the intense meltdown that was Ravvivando. This dynamic makes every track feel quite unique from each other, which I enjoy quite a lot. My favorite tracks off this CD are probably Nachtfahrt, as it contains an intensity that feels quite similar in vein to the rock in opposition sound of the 70s, I Don't Buy Your Shit No More since it has a very classic psych rock sound that I think is fun, and Day Out, since it reminds me of Jennifer, but for piano instead of guitar.

While I may think Faust A is the better CD, I still do think it is a little bit too long. Some moments like Brumm Und Blech and Cluster Fur Cluster just do not need to be there, and with every track kind of having this weird echo effect makes things feel a little too spaced out for me.

Faust Z is a lot more industrial than Faust A, though it is a lot more in the same vein as the kind of industrial music Throbbing Gristle and Coil has made. While it is considerably shorter than Faust A, Faust Z does prove itself to pack a punch, having this creepy atmosphere that persists through layers of drone and noise, only dabbling in a few moments of krautrockiness here and there. It almost has an aura to that of what David Sylvian would try after the 90s, particularly on Blemish and Died In The Wool. As a fan of some drone, I think Faust Z showcases some pretty amazing stuff, especially on tracks like Ozean and Ghostrain, both I think are probably Faust's most haunting songs ever.

Even then, it has one thing keeping it from being the best, and that being the last two tracks of Vorubergehen and Primitivelona. They are pretty rough, being these long winded sound collages that offer quite a lot of atmosphere and ambience, though a bit too late on the record, and maybe a bit too long to. I do wish I could like what they did on these tracks, but they don't really catch my attention, and feel inferior to all the tracks that came before, aside from some tracks on Faust A.

I also noticed on Faust A that some tracks are meant to go into one another in like a suite fashion, though before they could they stop at the last second before moving to the next song. I do not know how it is on other versions that aren't from streaming services, but it kind of makes Faust A feel glitchy, and not in a good way mind you. Kind of hope Faust Is Last gets some remix in the future, so these problems in the production on the first CD don't persist.

I think Faust Is Last is pretty underrated, though I can see why some may not fully enjoy it. I personally do like it quite a bit, but the more I hear it, the more the faults kind of become apparent. Still, I think it can be worth your time, just make sure to be ready for a pretty long record.

Best tracks: Nachtfahrt, I Don't Buy Your Shit No More, Day Out, Ozean, GhosTrain

Worst tracks: Brumm Und Blech, Cluster Fur Cluster, Vorubergehen, Primitivelona