KIN PING MEH

Lazily categorised under the far-reaching 'krautrock' banner, Kin Ping Meh were a surprisingly eclectic German rock group who, despite a pretty unremarkable career overall, did manage to release this impressive, Polydor- issued debut in 1971. Containing a real mixture of styles - sun-kissed psychedelia, woozy folk and powerful heavy rock all feature - 'Kin Ping Meh' is one of those strange albums made by a group who seemingly can't quite decide which genre suits them best. For example, the album starts with the pulsating, organ-laced, ten- minute-long acid-rock workout 'Fairy Tales', before taking in Clapton-influenced psychedelia on 'Sometimes', good-time folk-blues with the excellent album highlight 'Too Many People' and, to close proceedings, CSN- styled West Coast rock on the brief-but-effective 'My Future'. Whilst the Bulk of 'Kin Ping Meh' does seem based on a fairly standard mixture of blues, psychedelia and heavy rock, it does so in that peculiarly German way so prevalent during both the late-sixties and early-seventies, hence the album's tenuous krautrock branding. In actual fact, however, this is something very different from the likes of Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Neu! et al. Repeated listens soon single out the wheat from the chaff, and although around half of this debut album does seem pretty derivative, it does feature at least two killer compositions in the shape of the toe- tapping extravaganza 'Fairy Tales' and the wonderfully hazy 'Too Many People'. Enjoyable psychedelic rock then, and far better than one might expect. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012