Ravvivando

With touring and recording becoming something of a regular occurrence in the '90s, Faust were actually resembling a proper band. Although the group had been somewhat active since its semi-retirement in the mid-'70s, this album represented something of a mini-comeback on the heels of a concurrent international tour for these Krautrock legends as founding members Zappi Diermaier and Hans-Joachim Irmler carried the torch. Ravvivando is full of some of the best Velvet Underground minimalist-noise-rush this side of My Bloody Valentine, even if you miss the complete audio-visual aspect of their insane pyrotechnic shows (see The Faust Concerts). Interestingly, there are brief parodies/tributes to their fellow Germans Amon Duul ("Take Care"), Cluster ("Ein Neurer Tag"), and Neu! "T-Electronique" — perhaps not surprising from a band that once self-consciously called a song "Krautrock." With the amusing carnival-like "Dr' Hansl," the monster-movie blues of "Livin' Toyko," the eerie, chanted "Apokalpyse," and the anthemic, spiritual "Du Weibt Schon," this represents something of a new twist in their career. It has more to do with the collage quality of Rien (1995) than the wonderfully goofy IV or their early tape experiments. An intriguing phase for an always unpredictable group.