FOLLAKZOID
III

There's no two without three. As a good and now canonized rock tradition, if your first album is self-titled, the second is called "II", with the third you can't help but name it blandly "III".

And, let's be honest, this is getting a bit tiresome. Formal quirks aside, the return of the three Chileans Follakzoid on Sacred Bones Records is quite welcome, after the excellent previous work, based on a reproduction of kraut rock styles (especially the motorik rhythm) seen through a completely South American acid lens.

"III" is the natural continuation of this musical approach, if possible, pushed to the extreme in duration and the need for time. Four tracks, for 45 minutes of interstellar, yet controlled journey. No crazy jams, no flickering synths or similar things, just lots of Teutonic repetition. Strange to say, but the three Chileans seem more like Kraftwerk coming from the Orion belt. Tracks characterized by rigid precision, rhythmically surgical, whose variations are always minimal. A rhythmic austerity that would delight Merkel. But this is also somewhat the album's limit, as one can easily guess.

"Electric" initially tries to shuffle the deck, approaching kraut material with a dance attitude like LCD Soundsystem, using an unusual off-beat tempo and a straight bass drum to make us travel smoothly on the mental autobahn to Saturn. Unfortunately, halfway through the 10-minute track, you find yourself hoping for a bump in the road for an unexpected thrill, but no. German highways, cerebral or not, are smooth, perfect, and without speed limits, as we know. Similar is the discussion for the next track, "Earth", which flutters a bit more, also tries to vary something but remains glued to a rubbery and groovy bass that is its compelling beacon (yes, like those of the Star Wars star cruisers). The other two tracks, "Piure" and "Feuerzeug" are not dissimilar if not identical one might say, where the latter is preferred for some guitar flourishes that try to invigorate the track.

In the final analysis, a record for fans of couch potato bliss, those enviable moments when you are devoured by the soft embrace of the couch and Morpheus, and the music does nothing but become the companion of an all-mental journey that everyone should take once in a while. For other situations, handle with care.