Tanz Der Lemminge

Performer: Amon Duul II
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: German art-hippie communards Amon Duul II were among the Krautrock genre's most unusual propositions. Less doggedly motorik in their approach than contemporaries Neu! and Harmonia, less self-consciously arty than groups like Faust and Can, their acid-drenched brand of psych-rock combined a wildly primitive streak with sophisticated prog-like arrangements. TANZ DER LEMMINGE, a brain-melting, epic double album set from 1971, stands as a definite statement of the group's early sound. Toning down the doom-laden guitar freakouts of their previous effort, YETI (1970), for a gentler, more acoustic palette, the follow up stretches out across four LP sides consisting of extended jamming, folksy vignettes, and freeform improvisations. TANZ. opens with an extended suite of acoustic jams cryptically titled "Syntelman's March of the Roaring Seventies." Building upon a thematically introduced melody through various connected movements, the song moves deliberately from gentle folksiness to fragmented, abstract weirdness. Meanwhile, "The Marilyn Monroe Memorial Church," a long form-free improvisation, bears almost no traces of the band's rock roots, recalling instead the proto-industrial soundscapes of groups like Kluster. While TANZ DER LEMMINGE marked the last album of Amon Duul II's most experimental phase, the sheer variety of approaches and sensibilities on display also makes it a recommended entry point for neophytes.

Uncut (p.74) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A]n incredible odyssey of sonic inventiveness."

Best understood as a single concept split into two actual ensembles--Amon Duul I and Amon Duul II--with a shared origin and vision, Amon Duul is arguably the quintessential example of the style of music known as Krautrock. Born out of Germany's hippie art scene of the late 1960s, the Amon Duul name had divided into two separate entities by 1969, with the original band choosing a more free-form, improvisational approach to music making, while its sequel (and often contemporary) chose a more rigorous, technically adept progressive sound. Both acts went through various line-up changes over the subsequent decades, continuing to perform into the new millennium and benefiting greatly from the resurgent interest in German avant-garde music that took place in the late 1990s.

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