FAUST IV

Unlike their other european progressive brethren from England, France or Italy Faust and other German progressive bands seem to be interested not so much in flash musicianship or symphonic pretensions but in texture, repetition and rhythm. Faust's brand of progressive rock really explores what rock does best. It grooves, its gotta beat and can be damn hypnotic. Rather than graft symphonic or jazz musicianship over a rock beat or instrumentation, Faust uses a more minimalist, but no less interesting approach to rock experimentation. Faust are perhaps the most overtly experimental of the German bands that appeared during the progressive '70s and this album is arguably their finest work, though So Far is a close contender. On IV Faust use drones, texture, and absurdist lyrics to make a very original and compelling sound. Sometimes they sound like a psychedelic My Bloody Valentine such as in the droning opening song Krautrock. At other times they use wry humor such as in the goofy song The Sad Skinhead... "going places, smashing faces." It sounds as innocent as Capt. Kangaroo, but its not, these guys are clever and not afraid of humor. What makes Faust and this album in particular so interesting is that they mix avant garde elements in with the most compelling features of rock music, ie the beat and simple yet engaging melodies. Actually you can see how Faust influenced modern bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, Stereolab and others throughout this recording. Faust IV is a very forward looking album that still sounds fresh today and is a kind of distillation of the best elements of their previous albums.