The collage of tracks on Momentaufnahme I is akin to The Faust Tapes and satisfies on so many levels, scrapbooks that enviable ability the band has to get their groove on from absolutely anywhere, with anything; and almost instantly they’re off doing just that.
The loose-limbed jigsaw of “Es Ist Wieder Da” or “Flaflas’s” pitted concussives ploughing a certain assurance that paraffins your mind with their unflinching conviction. The electronics are remarkable too; Gunther Wüsthoff is a wizard here, supplying plenty of wobbly blancmange moments that fully immerse themselves into the flow or alter the shape of the instrumentation with effect strangeness.
The gong-like throb of “Weird Sounds Sound Bizarre” for example feels gorgeously industrialised, those haunted tonalities of Pierre Schaeffer and Karlheinz Stockhausen slapping into a screeching trumpet and electrocuted zizzzz. Even if it breaks the mood towards its final moments, the feeling is a powerful one, something that permeates and is redistributed though the strata of the rest of the tracks. Picking apart the bones of tradition, subverting your expectations they go. The alpine-lit acoustics of “Rémaj7”, its comforting hug hijacked by a curveball of typewriter percusives, key-toned sails and a laughing Jean-Hervé Péron. “Fin de Face’s” sparse frets growing into fed-back buzz drone, all spilling over into some starling displays of unification. The toe-curling undulations of “Vorsatz” that seem to eloquently grasp at those light smears of the cover.The agitated waywardness of “Bonne Soupe Au Fromage” too, caught in the heat haze of some delirious misunderstanding. A track that zimmer-fruits into the seven-minute harmonic harpoon of utter laid-back groovation that is “Rückwärts Durch Die Drehtür”, an ever evolving jam that has real star quality, sees the softly contoured tones of (I suspect) Rudolf Sosna and HJ Irmler pulling out some lovely butterflying contrast.
The clattering jumble sale of chaotic flavours continues on the second instalment, Momentaufnahme II, that blinding sense of rhythmic ease pouring out. Like the first disc, the ideas flow in plentiful supply, tracks onion peel with suggestive potential no matter now short the duration, occasionally falling into lilting acoustics of profound musicality as with “I Am … An Artist”, whose emotive frets seem to breathe in the room space, spark in subtle electronic forays.
This second disc is just as good as the previous, and again the pace isn’t spoiled by any embarrassing fails. The electronics spurring with and actively agitating the meaty “Tête-à-Tête Im Schredder”, its stubby guitar attacks slipping into to the solo roll of heavy timpani sounds barbecued in a blur of effects and flaring iridescents.
So many strange shapes pull at your speakers, the electronics / vocal dissonance of “The Fear Of Missing Out” shifting into a slinky brightness of guitar and synth besieged in mutating modulations and Dáli-esque dribbles. These are sounds that free you from the familiar, bubble into the scary beginnings of “As-Tu Vu Mon Ombre” that Don Bradshaw-Leather peeks into the crypt to later dowse you in a synth / guitar alka-seltzer and a rousing salute on fuzzing tonals with some touching candle-lit balladry from a certain Mr Péron.
I’m so happy that Bureau B have kindly re-released Momentaufnahme I and II as standalone discs, and given these rarities the wider audience they deserve. If you’re unfamiliar with Faust, these are a great place to start the journey and for those already in the know, essential listening.-Michael Rodham-Heaps-
