HYPERTHALAMUS

This album by Krautrock supergroup Dennis is their only album, released way back in 1975. It is one of those albums that was pretty much ignored on the American continent, and now that it has been "discovered", is going for a high price for used copies. It is a bit hard to find and was never released on CD as far as I know. It is an interesting album mostly because it is somewhat split right down the middle as far as overall style. It is all instrumental and improvised. Some complain that it sounds a bit muddled, but that only works to make it all more authentic to its tone and style.

The first half is made up of three tracks which are definitely in the krautrock and psychedelic style. "Do Your Own Style" begins with a field recording from a loud speaker at a train station. Interesting effects eventually push the track into instrumental territory, but their is definitely a spooky vibe to this that will give you an uneasy feeling. By the time we get to the halfway point of this 7 minute track, though, we have slipped into a basic guitar/keyboard jam session that continues for the rest of the track. Tracks 2 and 3 are actually combined as one flows into the other. This one feels a bit more focused that the previous, but continues with the krautrock/psych improvisation. The sessions are quite interesting and make for a nice way to pass a Sunday afternoon.

The 2nd side of the album consists of the track "Grey Present Tense" which is a 20 minute jam that is more of a jazz/rock fusion with a lot more emphasis on keyboards and various wind instruments. It makes for an almost completely different listening experience than on the 1st side, but there are some sweet effects that bring back the psych vibe that will still reel in the krautrock lovers. This is probably the most dynamic of the tracks and also the most enjoyable in my opinion.

This is quite an excellent listening experience and a valuable find if you can locate a copy. It is one that lovers of improvised, instrumental jazz/rock fusion and krautrock should hear, though it might not be considered a masterpiece, it is well worth the time to look it up. I believe the entire album is available to stream, so you should at least give it a listen. If you don't like it, well, at least you had a nice experience.

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