Wed Feb 22 2023
3
Faust IV is fine, but I think Faust Five is the best in the Faust and the Furious franchise.
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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Faust IV
Faust
1973
- Album Summary
Faust IV is the fourth studio album by the German krautrock group Faust, released in 1973. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, where it is referred to as a "krautrock classic". This was the last album by the first incarnation of the band, they returned in 1994 with the release of Rien featuring a different line-up.
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Mon Apr 05 2021
2
Krautrock. I was so excited to learn about this genre. That is, until I listened to it. Part way through the first track I labelled this electronica for boring people and decided their following must be from Frankfurt rather than Berlin. I liked Track 2 and became hopeful. Alas, track 3 reminded me that hope is the lowest form of consciousness. The only other song I liked was the last one. Oh well. Happy Easter Skinheads --
Thu Mar 25 2021
5
What fascinating noise. Never heard of these guys before and this was amazing.
Thu Mar 04 2021
4
Alot of werid shiut but pretty awesome
Fri Sep 03 2021
4
I'm an advocate for weirdness in music. The easiest thing in the world is to listen to conventional mainstream music that is pleasant enough, but boring and not conducive to thought or real feeling. Some of the best musicians know what's pretty and conventional, but push against those boundaries in ways that are surprising, amusing, and occasionally unsettling. Faust IV by Faust does all these things. On this album, the band dabbles with a variety of styles, sounds, noises, textures. The band uses dissonance as just another tool in their box. They utilize twisty, distorted guitar and keyboards, tin pan alley style piano, random instruments as needed, and a lot of other beeps, blips and noise. They're both reminiscent of the previous decade's psychedelia and forward looking to ambient and electronic genres yet to come. The vocal style is both detached and whimsical at the same time. Lyrics are minimal and occasionally surreal. They are probably intended as ironic and mostly for texture and effect. But if you read the actual lyrics there are some oddly violent moments. The song lengths might seem daunting, but most of these songs are progressive in structure, by which I mean they wander and ramble from one style into the next. So a 7+ minute song like "Giggy Smile" actually feels like three shorter compositions. It's a great method, allowing the band to experiment with a lot of techniques, instrumentation and dissonance, without it ever being too tiring on the ear. Fave Songs: The Sad Skinhead, Giggy Smile, Krautrock, Jennifer
Fri Jun 25 2021
5
That's amazing album. Don't think i could ever found it without tgis list! Pure jewel
Sun Jan 24 2021
4
Never listened to any krautrock before, but I might just have to start adding some to my frequent listening library.
Mon Jan 31 2022
5
4.6 - It starts off inauspiciously - just a couple of shaggy guitars, one in the foreground and one way in the back, a little playful organ and some tambourine. That goes on for about 12 minutes, trance-like. Not unpleasant but not impressive. "The Sad Skinhead" sounds like a Beatles-Zappa jam written and played spontaneously in someone's dressing room between sets. From there, the album launches into a swirly stratosphere. "Jennifer" has this bouncy bass-line that somehow grounds and elevates the entire arrangement before the song turns into a calm ocean of smeared colors. "Giggy Smile" is another extended jam with lots of staccato, which ends abruptly breaking the fifth wall as you hear the musicians conversing in German. "Lauft..." descends into some crazy machine-like click-clacks midway through before turning into an ambient Moog drone. "It's a Bit of a Pain" channels Brian Eno, taking a pretty acoustic ballad and blitzing it with electronic gurgles and guitar squeals.
Wed Mar 03 2021
4
Pretty good.
Thu Feb 04 2021
4
Long and weird, but it was a good listen.
Wed Aug 04 2021
4
Well that was way more fun than expected! Will definitely revisit later. I don’t even know where to place it, other than in my playlists
Fri Jan 21 2022
4
While the album linked to in Spotify has the year 2006, which is entirely believable, this is actually an album released in 1973. Remarkably experimental even by today's standard in 2022, it is a sincere case of a band sounding way before their time. Elements of Gorillaz, Radiohead, and the quirkiness of Beck are triggered comparisons, lending even more surprise that this was from the 70s. Overall, the album is actually really nice. Musically, the guitars are out front, melody and rhythm lack the repellent sounds and chaotic disarray of trance, or psychedelic compositions. Faust sounds like they are having fun, and their ability to groove is worthy of note.
Wed Feb 23 2022
4
Four stars An album which still holds its own many years after it was released, as bizarre (and wonderful) as it is, and an essential listen for anyone interested in experimental or groundbreaking music from the seventies. The only problem is that, contrary to other important names in that genre and era (Can obviously comes to mind here), it's not always an easy listen when you're going through this record in one take. One can even argue that some tracks are just weird just for the sake of being weird. That being said, it would be unfair to dismiss the *whole* of Faust IV, since there are also many moments on it that are mesmerizing, groovy, fun, mysterious, and even strangely addictive after several listens. The variety of surprising textures and arrangements displayed is a huge plus, navigating between rock, jazz, proto-techno and proto-punk still sounding as fresh and original as it did in 1973, as many other reviewers here pointed out ("proto" means part of the record is oddly prophetic of sounds to come). If only for this, it's a worthwhile listen, even if you'll never come back to it again. There's not much I can add that I feel could be relevant and interesting. Faust IV is for anyone who has even a remote interest in krautrock. Heck, it even seems they invented the term themselves with the name of the first track. A sure sign it's an essential listen. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 966 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 14 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 7 Albums from the list I will *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 11 Albums I might not be able to judge (some might end up on my final list but it's because I recognize how culturally important they are): 2
Sun Jun 12 2022
4
Most pieces are in the mold of guitar-ambient, executed by Krautrock experts. Touches of the rural and the weird and plain old songwriting keep things fresh. Not many words here, but plenty of material to sit with.
Fri Nov 11 2022
4
I was pretty surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. Krautrock is a genre I have never actually heard of, let alone listened to. The production is somewhat lo-fi but also very listenable. The instrumentation is drone like and hypnotising. The vocals are purposefully rough, which is a good thing for the purpose of this album, give the album its unique vibe. It is a really good album, I will be listening to it again for sure. FAVORITE SONGS: - Giggy Smile - Jennifer - Lauft...Heisst Das Lauft Oder Es Kommit Bald..Lauft (that was a mission to type out) - It's A But Of A Pain 4/5
Wed Feb 03 2021
2
What a fascinating funky piece of music. I was expecting something along the lines of Rammstein. Not sure what I exactly got here. A couple earworm type songs. Not much else.
Mon Apr 05 2021
2
At first, I thought it was a Feist album, maybe I'd mis-remembered her name. Then I noticed that the first 12 minute song (described as a "drone-based instrumental") was called Krautrock and realized it wasn't our great Canadian folk-chick. I'd give it a higher mark if they stuck to their drone-based roots without the frequent forays into industrial noises, distortion, and cricket chirps. And the grating guitar solo in "A bit of a pain" is way more than a "bit" of a pain.
Mon Mar 13 2023
2
Made my cat freak out
Wed Sep 30 2020
1
first of the the first song was 11 minutes long ... too long ... also it was just a lot of noise
Sun May 16 2021
1
I started out interested, but then every track seemed to be a repetitive drag. When I would find a track I liked, it would devolve into some extremely annoying sounds.
Fri Jul 23 2021
1
I gave it a chance... But kinda fucking sucks
Sun Oct 10 2021
1
Irritating, abrasive noise. Offers me nothing.
Wed Nov 24 2021
1
Ich Ben ein Berliner! Just trrbl...
Wed Nov 24 2021
1
This album actually gave me anxiety and stress, I was more calm after the songs were over. To me this was a lot of noise and not a ton of musicality.
Wed Nov 24 2021
1
Just a lot of noise for most songs... especially the first which never led to anything. Even the tracks that are "songs" stretch on for too long. Nothing exciting or very enjoyable.
Mon Dec 20 2021
1
Repetitive garbage
Wed Mar 22 2023
1
Mid
Thu Mar 30 2023
1
The worst thing I can say about an album is, "I think I could have done that".
Wed Apr 05 2023
1
Oh look. Another album where somehow 5 good ideas translated into an hour and 15 minutes of noise... Cool.
Thu Apr 13 2023
1
Makes me think of the ending to that series, Heimat. The village of old loses its charm to modernist architecture, there are those Vietnamese kids, and the bastard son gets money from his clueless adoptive father to make shit electronic music
Wed Apr 19 2023
1
I hated this. It felt like the album was actively trying to get me to stop listening to it.
Fri Jun 23 2023
1
Pure shite, unless you're full on out of your scone tripping on acid.
Fri Jun 23 2023
1
Awful, awful, awful. Easily up there as one of the worst things Germans did in the 20th century.
Wed Jul 05 2023
1
Didn't enjoy this one, which is disappointing as the last krautrock album (NEU) was great. This was just a bunch of noise. The best of the bunch was 'The Sad Skinhead', as it was a bit more 'normal'/palatable in style.
Fri Aug 04 2023
1
I really thought I would like this. I'm a fan of noise punk, so it wasn't to do with the chaos and experimental nature - something about the rhythm and vibe here stressed me out!
Mon Aug 21 2023
1
Just no. I don’t know what I was expecting but probably just something better. Kind of boring kind of weird- unexciting.
Wed Oct 25 2023
1
So unbelievably boring
Fri Oct 27 2023
1
p297. 1973. 1 star. A double album of tedious hippy German electronica with +10 minute tracks? Fuck no.
Wed Nov 01 2023
1
Painful
Wed Nov 01 2023
1
Did not like this at all. Songs were too long, and not even good to boot.
Thu Nov 02 2023
1
This was… noise. Did I need to be on drugs to enjoy this? It wasn’t good.
Sun Nov 12 2023
1
Not my jam. I’ve gone on the record many times saying I don’t like extra long songs, and generally speaking, lyrics are what sell me on a song. So… this album didn’t do much for me personally.
Thu Nov 30 2023
1
An unpleasant listen
Thu Jul 08 2021
5
Good stuff!
Thu Dec 09 2021
5
This had many interesting styles and constructs. I would have enjoyed discovering it earlier in life!
Fri Jan 14 2022
5
No los conocía siquiera pero vaya discazo, me encanta, se pueden escuchar sus referencias, y se puede escuchar claramente su influencia en mucha de la música que escucho hoy en día. Un sonido, un estilo y una producción particular, pero no dejan atrás del todo lo melódico. Un disco interesante y también entretenido.
Sun Feb 06 2022
5
Краут шо Надо
Wed Mar 02 2022
5
Not my first time hearing it and I freaking love this record
Wed Mar 23 2022
5
Progressive German Synth Rock . Impressive and want to hear more of Faust .
Mon Apr 25 2022
5
classic
Thu May 05 2022
5
Muito detalhado, inspirador.
Wed Jun 15 2022
5
It seems to be the album that modern arthouse rock albums are based off of. And it is considerably better than its imitators
Thu Jun 16 2022
5
After "Neu! '75" another classic German experimental rock album from the early 70s on the list - this is my favourite Faust album - it is experimental but also very accessible and listenable at the same time (i would have been quite a bit surprised if it had not been included in the list).
Wed Oct 05 2022
5
No notes
Fri Nov 04 2022
5
This album immediately engaged me and I loved it. So diverse and special.
Thu Nov 17 2022
5
Krautrock ya. Bloody all over the place in a good way. Giggy Smile was especially great, especially the way it stops dead into the next track - the talking actually scared the shit out of me. Some pretty out there sounds all over it.
Mon Dec 05 2022
5
banger, perfekt blandning av konstiga grejer och trevligt att lyssna på
Wed Apr 26 2023
5
Albums like this are why I decided to listen to the 1001 Albums project. I wouldn't have found this on my own, but I'm glad I did. It was weird, forward-thinking, and constantly entertaining. I can imagine artists like Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and Devo listening to this incessantly.
Fri May 12 2023
5
Wow. I had heard some Faust but didn't really know what they were all about.
Mon Jun 05 2023
5
Jawohl! Gerade aus!
Sun Aug 27 2023
5
That opening track! Good lord. That's on my chill playlist immediately.
Mon Sep 18 2023
5
Genial.
Sun Oct 01 2023
5
Probably the most accessible Faust's LP. Brian Eno perhaps got inspiration from this to create Ambient. Fav Track: Krautrock
Fri Oct 13 2023
5
Dit vind ik heerlijk. Een soort van kale, desolate maar toch enigszins hoopvolle, dromerige, soms warme, oude rock. Geen ijskoude ruimtetaferelen zoals bij die Tangerine Dream van laatst. Met vlagen wat manisch, maar dat maakt het ook wel weer spannend. "Jennifer" is bijvoorbeeld een prachtige track. Bizar genoeg kende ik 'The Sad Skinhead' en 'Lauft... Heisst Das Es Lauft Oder Es Kommt Bald..Lauft' en 'Giggy Smile' al. Ik heb alleen geen idee waarvan en dat vind ik moeilijk te verkroppen. 5 sterren. Leuk!
Thu Oct 19 2023
5
I love how timeless this feels, it swings between noodling to almost delving into pop ballads and seems wholly comfortable with itself. Foreshadows alot like Radio Head and Ledgendary Pink Dots yet feels outside of genre. Its a great album.
Sun Oct 22 2023
5
I've never heard of this album before today. This is excellent. Thanks for the recommendation.
Mon Oct 23 2023
5
I've only gotten into Kraut rock in the last few years. I really dig it. The motorik beats and the droning is something that appeals to me. Faust is excellent.
Sat Nov 11 2023
5
Faust do seem to be on the weirder side of krautrock, most of this isn't what I'd consider 'traditional' krautrock, whatever that means, being as it is one of the most interesting, experimental and diverse genres in all of music. It's an incredible mine for early electronica and simply for ideas in general just thrown out there. The fantastic, signature, driving motorik beat is mostly absent here for example. I've only listened to their debut before and that was a mix of banging stuff (as in literally banging stuff together) mixed in with the sound of objects floating in water (although I might be confusing it with a track on Neu!'s debut). Much more of an emphasis on weird noises than on this album. I read later that Faust IV is considered a more accessible set from the band, which definitely appears to be true. Does raise a little wry smile seeing the people in the reviews dismissing the entirety of krautrock on the strengths of this one album. But hey ho. They don't seem to be a band who stick with one idea. Which is incredible and I applaud it. I can mostly skip the second track, but I love the development going on in 1 and 3 and elsewhere. Most of the time now I want to listen to stuff where I have no idea what's going to happen next. I know the second CD was different versions of the same songs, but I left it on, because they were very different!
Tue Nov 21 2023
5
nice
Thu Nov 30 2023
5
Loved it since I came across it in the 80s. Wildly experimental Krautrock pioneers. This is my personal favourite.
Thu Apr 22 2021
4
weird, but i kinda liked it
Thu Mar 25 2021
4
Buenos elementos electrónicos
Thu Mar 25 2021
4
de muy buen gusto el faust
Fri Apr 02 2021
4
Agradable. Música musical, melódica, de ascensor. Un poco chill out
Thu Jan 28 2021
4
Hate songs about Nazis, but this was still cool
Wed Jan 27 2021
4
Albumik nieslyszany, nieznany, nazwa bardzo odpowiednia, moznaby sie doszukiwac nawiazac do Fausta Goethego, w tym materiale, praktycznie w calosci bedacy instrumentalnymi kompozycjami, chociaz jak dla mnie to wlasnie nie instruenty, ale efekty noise nadaja mu specyficzn klimat kosmicznej muzyki, bo tak ten album zostal sklasyfikowany gatunkowo, z niemieckiego krautrock, tak tez nazywa sie otwierajacy track prawie 12 minutowy, wokalu na albumiku jest niewiele, ale zdziwienie, bo zaspiewany jest naprawde szykownym angielskim, niektore kawalki maja wrecz psychodeliczny klimat jak picnic on the frozen river, nawet nazwa wskazuje, ze srogie piguly musialy brac udzial w tworzeniu albumika, jak dla mnie swietny i orginalny material, faust dolacza do sun ra w kategorii muzyki nie z tej ziemi
Wed Mar 17 2021
4
Surprisingly enojoyable
Fri Apr 16 2021
4
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Krautrock, Jennifer, Giggy Smile Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Expected to hate this. Kinda loved it instead. The baseline on "Jennifer" is genuinely one of my favorite things I've ever heard. This album does do the thing where it randomly blasts you with an unlistenable sound for a bit, but I still enjoyed this. Also 1973?????? You could've told me this was a Radiohead side project and I would've believed you.
Fri Feb 26 2021
4
I like this, but I’m trying to think how I would describe it. I would listen to this on psychedelics. Really loving when it gets more mellow.
Fri May 07 2021
4
Got to be in the right mood, enjoyed it yesterday but didn't like it so much today
Fri Jul 02 2021
4
Slightly wierd but I think I liked it
Wed Sep 01 2021
4
New band and new music for me. I'm not sure where to place this music. I enjoyed having a chance to listen to something new. "Krautrock" was a good introductory track, and there wasn't anything I dis-liked. "Giggy Smile" had some sections with saxophone that didn't quite work for me, and I would have skipped some of the background noise on "It's a Bit of a Pain". The album wasn't a clear favorite, but it was good enough that I'm curious what I might discover with a second listen.
Fri Oct 01 2021
4
Krautrock ist eine Hörlücke bei mir. Von Faust habe ich noch nicht einmal namentlich was gehört. Das klingt so überhaupt nicht nach 1973!
Fri Oct 01 2021
4
I know nothing about this band going into this album. I dig the opening track "Krautrock." That word is a genre that I also admittedly know little about, other than how a favorite band of mine, King Gizzard, is often referenced as having Krautrock influences. From what I gather reading the short blurb about the band on Spotify, these guys were pioneers of the genre and in the development of "ambient and industrial textures" in rock music. Krautrock is a 12-minute drone track ambling on and building a steady driving inertia that's only elevated once the drums finally enter eight minutes in. It's a moody gritty train ride of a song. The next track, The Sad Skinhead is a different vibe. It's a short bouncy track with a punk-like edge. The Next song Jennifer is another strange one. Two lines of lyrics repeated over seven minutes, there's a hazy vibe and wobbly bass that gives the song a foggy drunk feeling before it too transitions into a drony atmospheric wash and then a tack piano phase. Moving through this album feels like stumbling home through the industrial district after getting faded at a pub. Its hard to categorize the album as any one thing however, because for every Picnic on a Frozen River, there's a track like Giggy Smile, which skews away from the avant-garde to more of a psychedelic-pop/rock vibe, before naturally, becoming something entirely different again.
Wed Dec 22 2021
4
Another band I've heard about a lot from smart hipsters "in the know." I know they are Krautrock but I never knew they were this organic sounding. Because I associate Kraftwerk with that genre even more - or, I should say, they are my sole entry point into the genre. So, by comparison this doesn't sound like the Krautrock I know. But that's totally ok. I like the human element here. And it's truly crazy to think this was released in 1973. Given it's timing and influence, it's getting a 4 as well. And because I genuinely enjoyed listening to it. I'm like Oprah today "You get a 4! You get a 4! You get a 4!" Oh well.
Fri Jan 07 2022
4
Such a cool mix of poppy and experimental. I've always meant to give Faust a proper listen and I'm happy I have. Definitely need to seek out more of their stuff.
Fri Feb 04 2022
4
Completely experimental noise at first, but becomes a very warm and interesting listen after the first couple tracks.
Mon Feb 14 2022
4
wow, this doesn't strike me as anything that would have come from the early 70s. Way ahead of its time. I'll be checking out more Faust.
Thu Mar 24 2022
4
keep that krautrock coming! love it.
Thu Mar 24 2022
4
weird! I liked it
Fri Apr 08 2022
4
Enjoyed listening to this - very easy to listen to and interesting. Ahead of its time - had never here of them before. This kind of thing is the reason for doing the 1001 albums project.
Mon Apr 18 2022
4
Wow!! Belle découverte pour moi! Je comprends mieux d'où viennent Suuns (étant le seul band que je connais qu'on ai affublé du therme krautrock) je vais investiguer la discographie sans faute! J'ai trouvé ça définitivement pas plate, réalisation stimulante, quelques sons un peu strident qui passe moins bien au souper mais j'ai bien aimé le voyage!
Sun Apr 24 2022
4
Like some looming behemoth these tracks come, pushing all else out of its way, fascinating, beguiling, a curiosity, an influence on so many bands to follow. Commanding.
Fri May 06 2022
4
Yesterday I didn't know there was such a thing as krautrock, and today I'm a fan of krautrock. Who would have thought? Good stuff, a bit Pink Floyd-ish. 4 stars.
Fri May 27 2022
4
First track wasn't interesting enough but I liked the rest. I like psychedelic music
Fri Jun 17 2022
4
kraut! rock!
Sun Jul 10 2022
4
Bem diferente, meio experimental. Curti! Melhor música: Jennifer
Mon Jul 25 2022
4
Unexpectedly good. First track was weirdly disturbing, rest was a fine piece of art
Thu Aug 04 2022
4
A horny group of dirty spud munchers bending over in front of the mirror, fingering their bums. Touch your toes, love. Touch your toes.
Thu Aug 04 2022
4
there were a couple of points where i was just about to really enjoy this album and then it took another unexpected turn. still i think the madness of it made it quite enjoyable.