Kraftwerk can do no wrong in my book. Okay, maybe there was a few missteps (here’s looking at Electric Café kid) but I remember hearing this troupe in my youth and having my ass handed to me out of shock. Their sound seemed to come out of nowhere and startled my infantile ear holes in a way that made me wish I was made out of metal. And wouldn’t everything be so much better if that dream were actualized? Admittedly, it wasn’t until I was older that I became aware of this pre-Kraftwerk recording. It’s not the Holy Grail or anything, but it does give you insight into where these men-machines came from. And hey, Electric Café wasn’t all that bad.
Here (Reuped 6/8/12)
I liked some of the melodies and mechanical noises in Electric Cafe, but didn't care for the excessive repetition and cheesy 80's pop gimmicks. At least Kraftwerk didn't stoop as low as they did a couple of times on 2 ("Atem", "Spule 4", etc), although I actually like that one, 1, and Ralf und Florian the most.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it's good to see this album get its due respect. I like to listen to it whenever I'm mountaineering. Very ethereal. "Noitasinagro" is the best track in my opinion -- great climax. "Silver Forest" gets me lost like nothing else. "Tone Float" is good, but I think it's too slow and long-winded to be the opener. "Rhythm Salad" is just silly, and I say that as a percussionist.
Great posts, keep it up.