krautrock!!!!
- Nathan Weakley
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Hey guys, today I am here to talk about a style of music that I’ve come to love deeply in the last month or so: Krautrock. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, I’ll try my best to explain the origins of the musical movement and provide some good Krautrock songs to begin with.
Let’s start by acknowledging that Krautrock is not exactly a real subgenre. There are basically no consistent sonic elements of Krautrock; at face value, it’s merely a journalistic term used to describe weird German music in the 1970s. Under this label you can find all kinds of sounds, from the rhythm-obsessed psychedelia of CAN, to the semi-medieval synth folk of Popul Vuh, to the sheer anarchy of Faust and even the rigid futurism of Kraftwerk. If there is anything that ties these bands together, it is not musical but rather philosophical, or even spiritual.
The late 1960’s, when Krautrock was first developing, are remembered around the world as an era of cultural revolution. In the United States, this tumultuous time was soundtracked by soul, folk, and hippie-oriented rock– all countercultural in one way or another. There was a feeling amongst young people that significant changes were coming, and the music reflected that. But this restless feeling was perhaps most acute in West Germany. Twenty years removed from the shame and horror of the Nazi era, there was a general feeling amongst young people that the country had gone too far in the wrong direction, and that there was no sense in trying to build on the traditions of the past; the only thing to do was to rip up the old books and start over from scratch. While this sentiment was borne out of West Germany’s political history, it is one that went much deeper than politics. This hunger for experimentation was woven into the DNA of the post-war youth generation, reflected artistically in the Junge Wilde, or Neo-Expressionism movement, and musically in Krautrock.
Generally speaking, Krautrock tried to break from the past in nearly every possible way. This meant that strange, experimental song structures dominated the music, often tossing out verses and choruses and focusing instead on grooves and more linear progressions. There was also a departure from the lyrical themes that defined mainstream rock’n’roll. In a lot of cases, it’s sort of difficult to define what Krautrock songs are about, but it’s pretty easy to see what they aren’t about. Though the movement was largely defined by straight men, Krautrock is decidedly not macho and tends to avoid the expressions of male sexual desire that American audiences of the early 1970s had grown accustomed to in rock.
Maybe my favorite release to fall under the Krautrock label is CAN’s 1972 album Ege Bamyasi. A lot has been written about this album’s musical impact, about the nuances of its sound and the philosophical underpinnings of the songwriting, but I truly believe that you don’t need to know any of that. In fact, you’re probably better off thinking about it as little as possible. Ege Bamyasi is so much fun; it’s the perfect album to listen to when you’re walking down a busy city street. The rhythms are rigid and danceable, but everything else swirls loosely around them, including the strange, often unintelligible vocals. If there’s any Krautrock song you’ve heard in the regular course of life, it’s probably “Vitamin C”. I love this song dearly. The drums, bass, and guitar all feel like part of one single, beautiful machine. Damo Suzuki is the perfect vocalist for a band like CAN, sensitive and impressionistic, equal parts quiet and confident. “One More Night” and “I’m So Green” are other odd and wonderful highlights from this album, but I’d really recommend listening to it as a whole.
Tago Mago, CAN’s previous album, is also incredible. It’s a little spacier and more drawn out than Ege Bamyasi, but still very fun. The album's tense closing track, “Bring Me Coffee or Tea” is one of the best Krautrock songs, as is the lively and surreal “Oh Yeah”. What I love about CAN is the sense of openness in their music. These songs feel like they aren’t making statements but rather opening up the floor for questions.
The other band I’d like to mention is Faust. These guys are a little wilder and more bizarre, but the more I listen to them, the more I love them. Their 1973 record, Faust IV is definitely the best entry point into their discography. “Jennifer” is a song that anybody could love, and the opener, “Krautrock” is an almost shoegazey noise epic that makes you feel like you’re floating away into another world. So Far (1972) is also great, although it’s a little more off-putting on the first listen.
These are just the bands I’ve chosen to highlight, because they are my personal favorites. You might be more drawn to the computer worship of Kraftwerk, the soft motorik trance of Neu!, or the space-age electronic textures of Tangerine Dream. So, if you’re interested in Krautrock, I’ve made a playlist of some of the movement’s highlights to help get you started!
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