FAUST

"There is no group more mythical than Faust." Thus wrote English musician and eccentric Julian Cope in his classic of the genre, “Krautrocksampler”. Which says it all really, neither the habitus nor the music of the six piece Hamburg group is easy to grasp. Whilst some lauded Faust as the best thing that ever happened to rock, others dismissed them as shameless Dilettantes. Their collage of Dadaism, avantgarde rock and free improvisation radically divided opinion. Their legend was built on the fact that, in the early days, they addressed the media through their producer and manager Uwe Nettelbeck (1940–2006). Precious little was known about the musicians themselves.

When the first LP was unleashed on the world in 1971, Faust were very much the prophet in his own land, as the saying goes: few were interested in listening to their music – in Germany. Not so across the Channel: this is where Faust’s career really kickstarted. These monoliths of avant-garde rock sold a phenomenal 100,000 copies of their third album “The Faust Tapes”, one of the first releases of the Virgin label, then in its infancy.

Now that Krautrock has been revived, thanks to the efforts of bands such as Stereolab and Tortoise in the Nineties, Faust have become one of the biggest names to drop. Worldwide. Their concerts in the USA, Middle East, Japan and Europe are invariably sold out.

Almost 40 years since they began, Faust are issuing a brand new studio album. Original members Jean-Hervé Peron (www.art-errorist.de) and Werner "Zappi" Diermaier (www.zappi-w-diermaier.com) werejoined in the Electric Avenue studio by Amaury Cambuzat (from the French post-rock combo Ulan Bator). "Star indie producer" Tobias Levin recorded. The results sound fantastic! Typically Dadaist lyrics (mostly in French) accompany repetitive, sporadically overflowing, patterns. Faust’s music combines seemingly contradictory elements: it rages, yet is gentle, it is monotonous yet melodic, earthy and still ethereal. Safe to say, it is unique.

Here's what the critics say:

REVIEWS

The band still has a lot of fresh ideas to share and to inspire others with, and we're so happy that they're still here pushing boundaries. (Other Music, USA)

The surprise of "C'est com...com...compliqué" is not that Faust continue four decades after their inspiration, but that they do so with such inventiveness and sense of play. (Uncut, UK)

Faust remain vibrant and inspired. "C'est com...com...compliqué" is so fresh, the past doesn't matter. It's a fine entry point into Faust's lineage. (Q magazine, UK)

"C'est com...com...compliqué" is better than anything Faust have issued since 1999, writing another elliptical chapter in one of the most fascinating sagas in the history of rock (allmusic.com)

The nine tracks of this album are always focussed on one goal: ecstasy – as much as possible (Die ZEIT, Germany)

"C'est com...com...compliqué" is a stunning album, that sounds as fresh as any of Fausts best albums. Faust recapture the power and joy of their early years. (Brainwashed, UK)

"Almost uniquely, Faust have retained the anarchy and energy that resonated through their extraordinary 70s albums and this collage of drone rock, lyrical cut-ups, shard of dissonance and ethereal melody shows the old fires are still burning strongly." (Rock Sound, UK)

LINKS

www.faust-pages.com
www.myspace.com/austpages