Sunday, July 25, 2010

Various Artists - Cloud Cuckooland (2010)



Accompanying the marvelous LP from Sam Spence, Finders Keepers drop a twenty track compilation peering into the pre-1974 archives of one of Germany's longest running Krautrock independents, Kuckuck. During this period, the label was in its prog heyday, helmed by the forward thinking Eckart Rahn, whose release policy covered the early Kosmiche and Krautrock that he loved. One of his most successful moves was to sign releases from American ex-pat Sam Spence who also brought over his Moog synthesizer from the US. Sam provides a clutch of tracks for 'Cloud Cuckooland', next to far-out trips from like minded and progressive figures such as Ernst Schultz, Sonny Hennig, IhreKinder, Dueter Nicht and Lied Des Teufels. The Ernst Schultz tracks are some of the best here, from the choice collage of 'Paranoia Picknick' mixing musique concrete and unidentified early electronics, to his funked up rocker 'XY' while Spence's tracks are suitably zany and the oddities like Armageddon's Hendrix workut on 'Oh Man' hit a savoury spot. Recommended! (boomkat.com)

1. Antiteater - Opening
2. Ihre Kinder - Stunden
3. Out Of Focus - See How A White Negro Flies
4. Sam Spence - Waterworld
5. Ernst Schultz - Paranoia Picknick
6. Sonny Hennig - 1000 Tips Zum Überleben
7. Ernst Schultz - 10 Finger Blind
8. Ihre Kinder - Komm Zu Dir
9. Deuter - Der Turm
10. Sam Spence - Ringo
11. Antiteater - Memorn (Der Amerikanische Soldat)
12. Armegeeddon - Oh Man
13. Sam Spence - World As One
14. Deuter - Night Rain
15. Ernst Schultz - XY
16. Lied Des Teufels - Nichts
17. Antiteater - Intermezzo
18. Out Of Focus - Blue Sunday Morning
19. Ihre Kinder - The Dice
20. Antiteater - Trauer (La Mandragola)

Various Artists - Cloud Cuckooland (2010)