Can
Ege Bamyasi

It is truly impossible to underestimate the importance of the so-called Krautrock in the history of popular music. Groups like Faust, Neu!, Can, and Kraftwerk share a sense of musical adventure that still leaves us astounded today.
In 1971, Can released that majestic and intriguing album that is Tago Mago: a colossal, ambitious, and in many respects, definitive work. It was in the natural order of things that the following year with Ege Bamyasi, things would return to a human scale: a single vinyl's total length, long tracks yes, but nothing that matches the 18 minutes of "Halleluhwah" and the 17 minutes of "Aumgn" from the previous work.
Even on a musical level, there is a need to avoid the more delirious traits of their sound to seek a more compact and balanced form (which would later find completion in the beautiful Future Days of 1973).

So it is a transitional album, but this does not mean that the album lacks its own distinct identity and relevance within Can's discography.
If we want to categorize, we can identify two forms of composition: the long suite (a sort of cerebral and instinctive jam session at the same time) of the opening track "Pinch" and "Soup," and the shorter, almost pop compositions (as much as one can speak of pop in the case of Can) of the other 5 tracks. "Pinch" is a long ride played on percussive variations that manage to remain interesting to the end: broken, stuttering rhythms that unwinding sinuously outline a type of composition once again original and unheard of. "Sing Swan Song" is a sleepy, dreamlike ballad that leads, through "One More Night," to the little masterpiece that is "Vitamin C." The skewed rhythms and pop singing blend perfectly, as rarely happens. Incredible. The second jam session "Soup" is more reminiscent of Tago Mago, complete with Suzuki going mad in the finale.
Two little jewels, about three minutes each, close the album: "I’m So Green" and "Spoon." The latter helped sell several copies for Can as it was used for a German police television series. It’s not surprising. It is catchy, atmospheric, and unsettling.

It's never too late to discover Can's music, but now is a good time. The first four albums have just been released (up to Ege Bamyasi, which is the fourth) in well-curated and aesthetically very appealing remastered editions. The other pieces of the discography will follow in the coming months.
Don't miss them.