Friday 7 February 2020

Tanz Der Lemminge - AMON DUUL II**

Syntelman's March Of The Roaring Seventies/Restless Skylight Transistor Child/The Marilyn Monroe Memorial Church/Chewing Gum Telegram/Stumbling Over Melted Moonlight/Toxicological Whispering

Dance Of The Lemmings was a double album from the German avant-garde group Amon Duul II. Considered by fans of this genre to be their masterpiece, others dismiss it as merely annoying noodling noises.

“Amon Düül II's third album, considered at the time of its release to be their masterpiece, is in much the same vein as Yeti in terms of balancing composed pieces against longer, improvised ones, though this one focuses on sparser arrangements and more acoustic instrumentation. The result is less immediate and mind-meltingly intense than their previous album, but no less rewarding.”

“Tiresome and tedious, this is progressive in a very sober way. It is fragmentary, calculated and non-collaborative, as if the writers holed up by themselves and wrote each of these sidelong compositions by compiling uni-dimensional riffs together tangentially.”

“A veritable collage of composition with overlays and instrumentation a-plenty and despite the track titles there are not really any tracks at all. There are repetitive themes which occur throughout and notable pieces where the listener will find recognisable rock music. In every sense of the word this is a trip. The listener is treated to an entire experience which lasts for over an hour. The album represents the pinnacle of improvisational achievement from a traditional rock band.”

“This is the point where it all came together for Amon Duul II - where the songwriting finally caught up with the band's always impressive improvisational capabilities. Like the previous album, this consists of one disc of composed tracks and another of improvisations, but it doesn't feel like a double album - far from sprawling out, it's over all too soon.”

“Most of this album is a really annoying porridge of guitar strumming, drumming and keyboard noodling noises, with some vocal parts that sound somehow mumbled and anyway the words are either in German or just nonsense with the occasional neat solos on guitars and violin. But the last three, shorter pieces are back to the bluesy rock that is so good about the first two albums.”

“The musicianship is akin to an urgent and neuron shattering explosion through inner space.”

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