Kraan
Psychedelic Man

The Kraan are a German band, one of those from the early to mid-70s that exploded all over Germany. Peers of various Ash Ra Tempel and Neu!, the Kraan have always had weak ties with the renowned Cosmic Music, compared to them. This work under examination is dated 2007, 35 years after the first album therefore, and marks their return after years of absence from the scene. And they return with very clear ideas, but above all without relying on the altars of glory self-celebrating. "Psychedelic Man" is a fresh album, but above all current, despite the age of the band, a modern rock emerges, sometimes mixed with electronics and sometimes with psychedelic elements.

We seamlessly move from the energetic initial "Come Back", heavy in its arrangements yet nevertheless flowing, to a funk with wah effects in "Silver Buildings" entirely structured around a distorted guitar. Then it's time for the exotic "Dakkar", almost Arabic, sinuous in its percussive pauses, blindly guided by an inspired bass and a truly mesmerizing guitar. Other notable tracks are the Title-Track claustrophobic in its rapid movements, "Inner Circle" in which you will lose yourself in its endless melody enriched by flutes and chirping guitars that bring joy just by hearing them detachedly, "Miracle Days", with the guitar that literally melts us in its majesty without ever exceeding, as if this band were emerging. In fact, an emerging band would have likely tried to exaggerate, resulting in cloying.

Instead, as if they didn't have 35 years of history behind them, they seem to be starting from scratch here, gifting us 11 tracks of excellent rock with flashes of jazz, chill-out, and world music, and little psychedelia, as much as the album title might deceive. Yes, this is not at all a psychedelic album, or perhaps this is the psychedelia of the third millennium. In doubt, this remains definitely an album of excellent out-of-the-box rock songs, of incredible inspiration, modernity, and sonic coherence, and in these times, excuse me if that's not enough.