FLOW MOTION

"Flow Motion" is the 8th full-length studio album by German krautrock act Can. The album was released through Harvest/Virgin Records in October 1976. The opening track "I Want More" was released as a single and became a hit in the UK.

The music on the album is the unmistakable the sound of Can. Repetitive rhythm figures and melodies and a jamming and generally adventurous approach to playing music. It´s mostly instrumental but several of the tracks feature minimalistic vocal lines delivered in a sedated sounding vocal style. While the basis in the music is the same as when the band started out, the band´s music has become more accessible over the years and that trend continues on "Flow Motion". Tracks like "I Want More" and "Babylonian Pearl" both feature mainstream "hit" potential to my ears and are among the band´s most simple and accessible material. That doesn´t mean that "Flow Motion" isn´t an experimental rock album though. The band have opted to include quite a few musical influences in the music in their never ending quest for trying out new things. This time around off beat reggae rhythms are a dominant part of the album´s sound. When they mix that influence with a country music type violin on "Laugh Until You Cry", that´s when things really take off into space.

The album features a pleasant sounding organic sound production that suits the music well, and paired with the excellent musicianship, and the at times interesting songwriting, "Flow Motion" is a relatively good quality release. It´s not an album that blows my socks off, but it´s an enjoyable listening experience and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.