| Denser, but as eccentric and brilliant as ever (review from amazon.com) |
|
Around the time of Soon Over Babaluma, Can were gaining so much attention that they were given a contract by Virgin Records for their seventh album. With it came a departure from the primitive "lo-fidelity" recording techniques that have made their previous six albums so acclaimed since the group disbanded.
For this reason, "Landed" has often been seen as the beginning of a downfall for the band or as merely "a great collection of off-kilter pop songs". In reality, as one astute observer whose name I cannot recall said, "Landed" marks the high-water mark of the group's experiment with unique dance rhythms, well beyond even what "Dizzy, Dizzy" did on Babaluma.
The atmospheric, funky rhythms of their previous two masterpieces receive a harsher edge owing to the more complicated recording techniques on one of the album's two epic pieces, "Vernal Equinox". Initially much harder than anything they had done since Ege Bamyasi, "Vernal Equinox" moves into a typically ambient middle section before finishing with a lengthy solo from Michael Karoli that is so intense and melodic it could almost be Richard Lloyd. To be fair, Can never sounded so harsh, yet so eccentric and haunting, on any other movement. "Unfinished", on the other hand, is very much in the vein of "Quantum Physics" before it and possesses all the same qualities that made that piece haunting and alluring.
Turning to the shorter pieces, the opener "Full Moon on the Highway" is a revelation. With the more sophisticated recording techniques, Can actually become less accessible than they were beforehand, yet Jaki Liebzeit's skill at producing the right rhythm and no more than that has never been so good. Even the synthesised vocals have a truly otherworldly quality that makes this song into one of the very best Can ever did. "Half Past One", the sole song from "Landed" included on Can's 1993 two-disc anthology, is slower and less startling, but after many listens one realises it does have a delicate beauty. "Hunters and Collectors" (from which a locally-famous Australian band took its name - one wonders how this record arrived in stores here) stands intermediate between the approach of the two songs preceding it. The whisperish vocals have an endearing quality to them, and the trademark Can qualities are refined to produce a tight, light yet lively piece that nobody has been able to emulate. "Red Hot Indians", with a surprising saxophone in the intro, showed that Can had by this point refined their funky grooves to a truly entrancing level.
Indeed, entrancing funk is the main musical element throughout the whole of "Landed", and whilst the density of the rhythms can be fearsome to the first-up listener, it is ultimately at least as satisfying as the more abstract elements of Can's earlier work.
|
|
|
| Underrated album from excellent group (review from amazon.com) |
|
Starting off less then brilliant, Landed nonetheless proceeds to tear into Kraut-rock psychedelia with a warped precision that would remain a high mark for the genre throughout modern recording. Sure it may lack the tightness found in previous masterworks, but Landed soars all it's own. In a fantastic mid-stretch, Can continues to improve the sonic jam via their core of profound guitar and drumming based wizardry amongst much exotic instrumentation and playing styles. With their combined interests in bossanova and experimental rock amongst others, the pioneering band really justify their undersung influence when listening to such (still) fresh work.
|
|
|
| Weird But Good (review from amazon.com) |
|
| This is my first exposure to early Krautrock, as it is sometimes called. I've heard of Can for years but have never heard any of their music until I got this CD. I've read that their old singer, some Japanese guy, had a really unique voice that sort of defined them as a band. This is their first effort without him. That being said, I wouldn't know the difference. Taking this as my first exposure to Can, I like it. It seems to be a mix of electronica, rock, maybe jazz, and a German sensibility that I find intriguing. The most outstanding track to me is Hunters and Collectors as I can't get that phrase out of my head! The thick German accents in the vocals also add a unique touch to the music. Some great jams on this CD. Not a bad introduction to their music! Recommended.
|
|
|
| ¡LA PRIMERA IMPRESIÓN! (review from amazon.com) |
|
| LANDED llego a mis manos por un amigo músico, y enseguida mi primera impresión fue: ¡me he perdido de muchas cosas en mi vida!, ¿porqué hablar de un disco como este?, me parece absurdo, la sensación de tener este disco en mis manos, sin ser mio, no me deja insatisfecho en lo absoluto, recientemente mi novia y yo decidimos colocar un cartel en la sala de su casa, de normas que deben cumplirse al entrar, por ejemplo: 1.NO HABLAR DE GRUPOS MUSICALES, o 2. NO HABLAR DE ESCRITORES O NOVELAS REBUSCADAS ¡creo que saben a que me refiero!...OK, todo esto porque he recibido en casa de mi novia, a muchos "PSEUDOINTELECTUALES", que hablan mucho y sobre todo de este tipo de música. Pero lo que me ha pasado a mi con este disco es otra cosa, porque no consigo ningun comentario satisfactorio, además es absurdo para mi, solo escucharlo ya es un placer, ¡LANDED es increible!
|
|
|
| Musica con otro sabor ritmico y melodico (review from amazon.com) |
|
Un trabajo no muy conocido de CAN pero que contiene unas buenas piezas, especialmente las 3 ultimas. Se expresa una evolucion y diversidad de ideas. Una musica hecha con libertad absoluta y sin fijarse esquemas ya dados.
Dificil de encontrar analogias musicales, pero una joya distinta y con otros matices.
|
|
|
