Ernst Schulze - 1971 - Paranoia Picknick

Ernst Schulze, vocalist and co-founder of superstar German rock group Ihre Kinder, made this curious debut in 1971. For the most part its a folk record. Kind of. Well, not really. Maybe it's because it's what im used to, or maybe its because a lot of folk is very centered around the stories and I'm unaccustomed to the German language (for now), but its the tracks that divege from the traditional format and are more experimental and psych rock I found to be most memorable.

A1 - Ich Sehe Immer Wieder Grün
A2 - Der Traumtänzer
A3 - Synthetischer Orient Nr. 1
A4 - Nur Ein Spanier
B1 - Kirchenlied
B2 - Kurt Mittag, 55, Staatenlos
B3 - XY
B4 - Paranoia Picknick
B5 - 10 Finger Blind  

First off, Schulze's vocal prowess is simply wonderful throughout. Sonny Henning's rhodes-esque piano totally rocks out with bassist Walti Schneider and guitarist Wolf Stumm in "Der Traumtänzer" (A2), which seems to be the only track on the LP to really rock out with the exception of "XY". And like the group Agitation Free from around the same time period, they explore some Middle Eastern influences in "Synthetischer Orient Nr. 1" (A3). The fourth track "Nur Ein Spanier" always stuck out to me with its intense energy, and Jack Grunsky's eerie, forlorn harmonica playing.

I feel like there's something lost in being unable to understand the German language, particularly in the somewhat more traditional sounding folk pieces on side B which sound like they might be rather story oriented (an issue I hope to rectify in the near future). The song "XY" is the other track that really rocks out, but more oriented towards Wolf Stumm's creamy-overdrive guitar and a sax player who is not credited.

The last two tracks are the really freaky experimental stuff I so much adore. Title track "Paranoia Picknick" is a haunted collage of voice recordings. "10 Finger Blind" is kind of industrial, almost Neubauten-esque. Overall its a diverse one of a kind record with such a variety of styles of composition. I'd definitely recommend this record to anyone looking for something a bit different in their quest for 70s psych and folk rock. 8/10

Dennis - 1975 - Hyperthalamus

Dennis, a supergroup with members from Xhol (Klaus Briest; b), Frumpy (Carola Kretschmer; gtr + Carsten Bohn; dr), Thirsty Moon (Michael Kobs; kb + Willi Pape; sax) and Ougenweide (Olaf Casalich; perc) made just one LP in 1975. The results were absolutely spectacular.

A1. Do Your Own Thing
A2. Others Do
A3. Already
B1. Grey Present Tense

One thing that makes Hyperthalamus so special for me is its pacing. While holding together as a six person line-up they form a sound that's refined and understated while still managing to be loose and laid back. The liquid-borders between a wide range of sections provide a psychedelic and disorienting experience.

The album opens with a musique concrete sound collage that flows into a serene and pastoral guitar with dreamlike atmosphere. Tracks A2 and A3 are more hard driving psych rock compositions.

The full sided last track 'Grey Present Tense' runs the whole gamut of artistic experimentation, going from chaotic and free-jazzy, into an almost jazz funk sort of jam, the keyboardists Manne Rörup and Michael Kobs playing off eachother like fire. The second half of the epic dissolves into a more subdued vibe with an excellent sax solo from Willi Pape that the rhodes sounding keyboard compliments really well. The rhodes keyboard later becomes a synthetic, almost squarewave sounding instrument that goes into a solo of its own, with interesting warbling effects, followed by some impressive drum playing from Carsten Bohn playing off the keyboard and bass.

I feel like this album is so well put together there's not even much to say. Its well paced and performed, with an undeniably kinetic chemistry between some very experienced veteran musicians, each contributing their own unique vision that compliments everyone else's. 9/10