Faust Cover Jennifer by Freddie Wadling

 

Jennifer dit hår brinner is a Swedish Faust cover, recorded by Freddie Wadling, and probably just as brilliant as the original.

Jennifer from Faust's fourth album is one of their most accessible tunes, even when it's still pretty haunting and disruptive. It's almost rock. One of Sweden's most fascinating musicians, Freddie Wadling, made a remarkable Swedish version of it for his 2009 album The Dark Flower.

Latin Kraut by Monoambiente

Argentina seems an unlikely place for krautrock but Monoambiente proves different.

Originating from the province of Tucumán, the band released two mini albums that blend krautrock influences (think Neu! and Can) with laidback latin pop. An unusual combination and that's how it sounds: unusual, but absolutely beautiful if you ask me.

The first EP Sin Música which I post here will appeal more to diehard krautrock fans, particularly the opening track El Nuevo Kraut. Buy it and you will also get an interesting video.

The second mini La Fábrica de Éxitos Cerró is more song oriented. There are still strange, disruptive elements but they're more subtle. It contains a Spanish cover of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World.

I haven't found much information about Monoambiente on the Net except for a few more songs posted on Pure Volume. I actually don't know if they are still active - the minis are from 2009. Whatever, enjoy their music. They're worth every second of your attention.

Michael Rother with Erlkönig

Krautrock in the 1970s had many faces. It could be experimental, spacey, punky, noisy, hypnotic, melodic... Michael Rother was one of the few musicians who could switch from one mood to another and create music that explored almost every possible direction, and never sounded out of place. As a member of Kraftwerk, Neu! and Harmonia he was a key figure in krautrock.

But let's not forget his solo work. It was (well, is .... he's still active) more melodic and accessible and (obviously) focused on his delicate guitar work. Rother's mother played Chopin on her piano when Michael was a kid and you can hear it in his playing.