Eclectic band at the forefront of the Krautrock movement, combining avant-garde tendencies with rock trappings and funk-inflected rhythms.
“Can is a chameleon of a band. Seriously. There are so many moving parts to their music and on each of their classic albums, they always seem to be wearing a different mask. I mean, what is there to be said about a group of pretentious trained musicians who decided to pick up a street performer to be their vocalist? It’s practically the ultimate heroic indie-rock story. What could be cooler? Just listen to “Bel Air”, for example. It’s actually a quite subdued number, but with many little nuances and complexities that keep it engaging throughout its 19-minute run-time. Or perhaps consider their seminal pair of albums Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi. The former is an absolute feast of different sounds and textures. There are weird psych-noise freak outs. There are ambient moments. There’s straight-up rock’n’roll. And the latter album takes all of these wonderful things and somehow makes them even groovier and more immediate. The guitars and keys are awesome. The rhythm section is incredible — practically unparalleled in rock music. Damo Suzuki is a madman of a vocalist, nobody sounds like him. It’s a winning combination. Their Damo Suzuki albums are, naturally, the most essential and ‘classic’ of their discography but I do have a soft spot for Monster Movie and some of their later albums are not bad either. So definitely explore their discography beyond the most popular albums. They’re just an awesome group. An absolute must for anybody getting into music that is slightly “off the beaten path.” Their songs are always a little bit different, but I’ve always gotten the sense that they were making exactly what they wanted to make.”
Three Essential Albums
Tago Mago (1971)
Ege bamyası (1972)
Future Days (1973)