Michael Rother
Flammende Herzen

THE REVIEW

The German multi-instrumentalist Michael Rother, after being a key figure in one of the most important and influential avant-rock projects of all time (the Neu! founded together with Klaus Dinger) and having sporadically been part of historic formations such as the Kraftwerk, from the second half of the '70s realized a series of solo albums of which "Flammende Herzen" constitutes the first piece.

Composed and played almost autonomously, this record partly reflects the path taken with Neu! contaminating it with proto-newage sensations and cleansing it of the krautrock patinas that the German scene inevitably left on all its musicians of that era. Rother leaves experimentation for a more reassuring romantic atmosphere (in a strictly Sturm und Drang) that through simple rhythms and linear - almost minimalist - melodies generates dreamy and long-lasting vortices.

If partly the evocations project images of phantasmagorical amusement parks ("Karussel") and albums of poignant memories (Flammende Herzen), pieces like "Feuerland" cast sinister shadows on the walls and the music brushes against a pagan and urban mysticism of notable impact.

Rother does not seem concerned with demonstrating a technical level, but rather a stylistic signature that has made him a significant name in a panorama - like the German one - capable of strongly influencing all contemporary music of the last 40 years. And if a record like this remains less celebrated and known compared to those signed by the Neu!, certainly Rother is an artist of stature who stands alongside the likes of Schneider, Fricke, and Schulze to whom we have bowed multiple times.