Faust IV

Not for me

Faust zero?

Not super musical

A good and really experimental album. Some tracks pulled me in completely, and by the end I was left with a clear Düsseldorf feeling — that cold, mechanical, slightly playful krautrock atmosphere the city is known for. The band moves between structured songs and more open, studio-driven pieces without losing control. There are moments of strange beauty next to sudden shifts and odd textures. It never settles into one mood for too long, which keeps it interesting. When the stronger tracks hit, they feel focused and strangely catchy even inside all the experimentation. The production is full of studio tricks and layering, but it still sounds purposeful rather than random. Guitars, keyboards, rhythms and effects sit in a wide, slightly distant space that matches the overall mood. Faust IV is a solid and inventive record. Experimental without becoming empty, and strong enough to leave a real impression.

Weird and experimental and exactly for me

Yeah this rules. This is my kinda shit right here. Experimental, droney, structurally deconstructed. Very cool. ML427.

Yep, this ticks the "kraut" box and the "rock" box for sure. Not industrial or gritty enough for my tastes, but with the benefit of hindsight, you can see the direction here.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Jennifer I couldn't give this album as much attention as I wanted to. Visiting family and Halloween abound; I did listen but it was mostly quiet and in the background. Fortunately, lyrics are not so common, so I wasn't missing much there. Although... the singing wasn't always so great. The Krautrock style seems to be hit or miss for me. Can's Future Days was quite good. Kraftwerk's The Man Machine not so much. NEU! 75, also not so much. Jane Weaver's Modern Kosmology is also listed under the krautrock style and I've grown to really love that album. So, overall it averages out to be a tiny bit above average for me. Faust IV is pretty middle of the road. A bit psychedelic, a bit whimsy. Goofy, robotic singing. *shrug* It's music and I didn't actively dislike it. So.... 3

Really weird shit, but I can somehow dig it. Better than some of the other more avant-garde stuff, I appreciate the mix of rhythms, melody, and some experimental stuff.

Wasn’t sure what to expect but this wasn’t it. Some of these really went sideways in painful ways. Would not listen again. Genuinely feels like some of these songs are spiritual attacks on my ears. How did they let three Fausts get out before this one. I’ll be absolutely fuming if I see another one come up anytime soon. Specific rating - 1.1 Fav song - krautrock Least fav - it’s a bit of a pain

It's not the worst album we've had to listen to, but that might be the only nice thing I have to say about it. Hard to win me back after a 12 minute song of droning and occasional beeping, even harder if you don't even try. Favourite song: The Sad Skinhead Least: Just a Second

Whoa, I've never heard of this and I really like it. Crazy sounds. 4 stars for now, but I want to listen more.

This was not a pleasant way to re-start listening to the 1001 from a vacation pause.

Their music gives you the sense that your slowly going deaf, and your happy that you are going deaf

The krautrock epics were great, the actual songs less so for me

Disc. 1 The 1st track is a 3/5, it's a soundtrack, not a bad soundtrack, but still just a sound track. The 2nd track is a 3/5, not a bad track, just something I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to. The 3rd track is a 3/5, singing about someone named "Jennifer" and the last parts is just instrumental. The 4th track is a 2/5, just don't like the soundtrack, it's fucking weird. The 5th track is a 3/5 track, not bad, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 6th track is a 3/5 track, not bad, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 7th track is a 3/5 track not bad, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. Disc. 2 Some of the track seems to repeats, but not extended or remastered is the first thing I noticed. The 1st track is a 3/5, it's another version of disc. 1, track 3. The 2nd track is a 3/5, it's another version of disc. 1 track 2. The 3rd track is a 3/5, it's extended version of disc. 1 track 4. The 4th track is a 3/5 track not bad, just not something I would go out of my way to listen to. The 5th track is a 3/5, I'm assuming it's an alternative version of disc. 1 track 7. The 6th track is a 3/5, it's another version of disc. 1 track 5. I would give this album a 3/5, not bad songs just not something I would listen to on my own, and the repeat tracks were an interesting choice.

com esse eu chego a conclusão de que krautrock não é mto minha praia é super bem executado, texturizado, bem feito pra caralho, mas não me pega nem um pouco

krautrock eh uma coisa né. mto doido, esquisitaço, cheio de texturas, quebra a estrutura do ROCK pra depois remontar de novo, sem hierarquia nenhuma. e tem synth ainda. e o faust eh mto bom em fazer isso tudo. barulheira da BOA! gostei bastante

JL : 3, Krautrock

How do you review this? Incredibly eclectic. In fact I could mistakenly see this as a compilation of different bands. 'Jennifer' is stunning and gives me hope for the album.

10/29 Weird shit

not for me

Some good ideas and promising starts, repeatedly spoiled by unnecessary noise and tracks being dragged out far too long. For Germans, I’d expect more discipline.

1.5 A lot of German screeching, but Jennifer is quite a good song and I enjoy some of the weird effects they’re doing on the last song. The rest I could totally do without.

Surprisingly good! Reminded me a bit of my youth listening to Gong and Hawkwind :)

uh oh, Avant Garde... not as bad as it could be. 1st track went on. quite like the last one.

Not interesting to me.

Could not get past the first 3 songs. Track one was 11 minutes of a repeated noise with small additions throughout the song but did not build up to anything worthwhile. I was bored by track 3 and could not bring myself to listen anymore.

I'll give them point for being original. There's a bit too much negative in the album, though - the first track goes on far too long with very little happening, and the vocals on other songs are nowhere near as interesting as the instrumentals. This was so close to being a great album, but ended up being just meh.

Pretty much like the last album ... it was good ... but not groundbreaking.

Well that qas an interest listen. I like how varied the style is: the instrumental part and the proper songs kinda intercalated.There are some god ideas there and I felt I enjoyed more as the album carried on. A decent 3/5 And the suggestion Spotify gave me after the album made me want to dig more into the discography.

Some seriously sour krautrock.

Liked the beeps and boops. Having your childhood ruined by fascism is one hell of a drug

edging on too psychedelically rambling for me but still pretty enjoyable for weird sounds

1.5 stars. Long noisy songs that didn’t really go anywhere

Odd & strange overall; very industrial-esque, but not very melodic at all.

Not a fan…

An interesting avant-garde sych rock journey. While not my cup of tea, an interesting listen nonetheless.

An album monumentally ahead of it's time, and perhaps out of time as we know it. Experimental but still maintains groove and structure where it pleases. Krautrock rules! This uses early electronics to break form and create texture, more so than attempt any kind of dance or rhythm based music. A touch of humor and purposeful disjointedness that recalls Zappa stuff. Really cool!

I love the My Bloody Valentine-esque first track, and was already thinking this could be a 5/5 for me if the album was 4 variations of that style. However, track 2 threw me for a loop, and it kept me guessing from there. There are some great tracks, but it's so wildly incoherent I struggle to give it more than a 3.

lol nope - imagine going to this concert and hearing the same tune over again for 10 mins a song? Bin

Okay, first track tells you what you're in for: Krautrock. I like the start. It's like Kraftwerk meets garage. It's a bit of shame, that driving energy is less present as we go on. Returns slightly in Just A Second Giggy Smile is jammy, with a sax solo Best track - Krautrock 3.5 stars - I wanted to like it more... call it 4

Never heard of this band! The title track is Krautrock, which is what this genre supposedly is? That makes sense... This is... odd. It's almost just noise at times? Some parts are catchy, then others drone on. A lot of tracks fade into the background but then get trippy real quick (here's looking at you, track 4, not even going to attempt to get your name right.) Of all the tracks I've ever heard, Giggy Smile is definitely one of them. What a weird five minutes of circus music to end it, then just abruptly stop.

First listen

Veoma zanimljivo, ovo je ono što fanovi Floyda misle da su oni izmislili i još tako neki bendovi koji su bez potrebe zasjenili neke ozbiljnije i kreativnije.

Really cool and vibey groovey and ducky album, a bunch of fusion, English and German lyrics, I really liked it, kinda psychedelic but also not.

Was an unexpected good listen

Surprised at this. I expected it to be shite and as the first track was 11 mins of the sound of hearing a tumble dryer running in another room I thought I might be right. However, this had some surprisingly good moments. Mostly when they played more traditional 'songs' as we all know them. Won't get another listen but didn't hate it.

Previously unknown. Some of the jammy parts are ok, but mostly it was kinda goofy.

LOUD. NOISES. AGH.

There were a couple of good sounds and vibes going here and then they just end a song out of nowhere. I got a bit annoyed at them, but I think that's sort of the point. I'll be a good sport and reserve the 1 for a 2 instead. It is still the kind of record I'd never relisten in full, even if it was my jam.

Yes! I have another Faust album, but I think this one is probably better. This stuff is right up my street. Admittedly I’ve only had a single listen, but there is a wonderfully diverse selection of ideas and vibes across the album and I am here for them all. Naysayers and blinkered fools won’t make it past the epic opener, but I am a major supporter of the 3R’s (repetition, repetition and repetition) and if I have a reservation at all, it’s that we don’t get a little more of it on side 2. But as I say, there’s a wealth of other quality material throughout and it’s a lot of fun into the bargain. I will be on the lookout for a decent copy of this and if it doesn’t turn up soon enough, I might even have to give in to a reissue. I wonder what its average score is on here; it doesn’t strike me as the type of thing that would be tolerated by many. Great stuff that might end up a 5 for me.

That's a whole thing isn't it? Equal parts enjoyable and occasionally grating. High 2s.

So many ideas varying from longer, droning pieces (Krautrock) to more accessible song structures (Giggy Smile). It's all steeped in grimey guitar tones and analog synth noises. Jennifer stands tall as a particularly monumental achievement, sounding 20 years ahead of its time. Rating: strong 8/10

Weird

German, industrial psych rock aka krautrock. I didn't hate it. I wouldn't say it excited me but I was intrigued. A bit droney in parts (where it falls into the kind of album I would consider as background music) but not extremely unpleasant. A collage of electronic oddity's alongside an undertone of meandering guitars. Giggy Smile wasn't too shabby with a bit of sax, synth and a solid rock bassline.

This started well, but like my experience with The Faust Tapes, the vocals are annoying to me. If this was instrumental it would have ranked significantly higher.

Not for me. 1/5

Very interesting album as I’ve not listened to Faust before and I can see their influence. I particularly enjoyed “Jennifer”. A little rambling for my taste but definitely pushing boundaries at this point in rock history.

Ich bin kein Fan von Krautrock. War an stellen ganz nett, ich würde es mir aber nicht gerne anhören.

Best Track - "The Sad Skinhead"

When it was good, it was really good. Otherwise it was overblown songs too long.

This was a weird one, like a 70s rock band did LSD and hit record a jams for 10 mins and compiled them on to an album. Very modern sounds are on this, but it’s too weird to be liked in the traditional sense

This is what it sounds like when you just let people play around in the studio BEFORE they hone down on good ideas. You get bits and peices of good stuff and a lot of what sounds like kids writing their first songs. Heres is the crazy part, I can hear the bits that would go on to influence (probably) artists I enjoy today. I can also hear about 58 minutes of tinkering around that I didnt need to hear. Now the surprising part, this may be the best album this project has subjected me to this week. 2 stars.

Meh, not a fan of Krautrock. I found it uninspired and boring.

I have no specific recollection of ever hearing this band before. I have heard of them as being influences, but never hunted them up. "Läuft...Heisst Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald....Läuft" isn't what I expected at all, but I really like that. "The Sad Skinhead" is also great.

Jesus does this album start incredibly bad, with this repetitive, boring 11-minutes-long track that goes fucking nowhere. It does get better, surprisingly. There are songs I almost like, one being "Picnic on a Frozen River", which at least has something going on in it, but even then, the good parts (that gorgeous sax) are drowned in an ocean of bullshit. "Giggy Smile" also opens beautifully, but then it remembers to be annoying. "I'm not afraid to waste my time anymore" says the song in French. I guess it tells you in what state of mind you must be to appreciate that kind of music. Fitting. Ultimately, I still can't hate it too much. The weirdness is bizarrely enticing. It's just that, to quote the album... "It's a bit of a pain".

Absolute shit

What the hell was this and why did I have to listen to it twice?? It had some moments, but was so weird and not good overall. It also was longer than it needed to be (because it had so much repeated content. Actual rating...1.5. Liked Songs: "Just A Second (Starts Like That!)/Picnic On A Frozen River/Deuxieme Tableaux" , "Giggy Smile" , "Lauft...Heisst Das Es Lauft Es Kommt Bald... Lauft" , and "Piano Piece"

I get it now. Brilliant and confusing. No wonder Radiohead love these lot.

Sehr gut! Very much enjoyed this one and won't be hesitating to throw it on once again. Probably not at a party, though.

*insufferably* this is actually the most accessible Faust album

No lo pude terminar.

Could not really get into this

11 minute opening track of aimless wandering did it for me and I like Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

This gives me hope that one day I, too, can make it on this list

A bit too much for me 2

The ambient stuff was neat but forgettable, and I even liked how it sounded like a robot was throwing up in the last track. But the singing really didn't do it for me.

I really didn’t mind / quite liked parts of it. Definitely had enough about it for a 3.

I didn't mind it

"Mesmerising opening track" I read on another review which is accurate. Giggy Smile is fun.

It's interesting, not my cup of tea though. It's a Pain was sort of nice.

Krautrock er helt fantastisk, men albumet klarer ikke helt å følge opp. The Sad Skinhead er dårlig, mens Gorillaz-aktige Jennifer løfter det opp igjen. Giggy Smile er lenge teit og kjedelig, men kicker til i andre halvdel med jazzsaksofon og bråk.

Was decent

2.3 out of 5 stars for this album. Well, I finally heard a Krautrock album that isn't complete garbage. This one has a couple of nice tracks on it, mainly The Sad Skinhead and It's a Bit of a Pain. But the rest is typical Krautrock trash. I hate that the generator gave me this album right after Bowie's Hunky Dory. But such is life.

Holy shit, Faust? Guilty Gear reference? God, I love Guilty Gear. I haven't mentioned it nearly enough in these reviews. You want to know something that I also like quite a bit, though not as much as Guilty Gear? This album. It's pretty cool! Krautrock isn't a genre that I've gotten to experience a ton of for this project, but whenever this website has given me the chance to hear some, I've always had a good time. There's something about the more atmospheric production combined with a certain style of quirky experimentation that, more often than not, makes for an album worth exploring. Faust IV is not an exception to that in any way. Everything that I said in relation to Krautrock at large is perfectly captured on this album. The fact that this was made in 1973 is astonishing to me. I don't know how these guys had the idea to make a song like "Jennifer" at this point in music history, but I'm really glad they did. Great song, by the way. It's probably my favorite on the album, though the 11-minute opener "Krautrock" comes close. The atmosphere of the album is really nice at times, though the album has plenty of weird moments. I think they're a good weird, but I can definitely see how this album could be hard for someone else to get into. The writing and singing aren't always present, but they're definitely not bad when they're there. Faust IV is an album that really isn't for everyone, but I see enough value in this to say that it was more than worth my time. There really isn't anything else I've heard that's quite like it. It's not my favorite Krautrock album, but it's a classic of the genre and a worthy pick for a list like this. Low 4/5.

faust ain't for me

Faust is kraut rock. I have not heard them before. However I have heard Kraftwerk which I didn’t mind. The vocals are not good. They sound monotone which is probably the point. The instruments used are drum machines, synthesizers and the occasional guitars. This is good music for insomniacs. None of them really stand songs stood out. Occasionally there was a nice synth riff even a guitar but overall listening to this was an exercise in monotony. Listening to this album was a very boring experience. The album is below average. Two stars.

Enjoyed this

Today I'm handed a band I've never heard of, and a genre of music I didn't know existed. It's absolutely fascinating. This absolute beautiful disaster mix of rock, jazz, avant-garde, electronica, and just random noise at points. At points, I can hear some proto-industrial rock/metal. This isn't something I'd necessarily seek out on my own, but it's a hell of a ride. "Giggy Smile" was by far my favorite track. We're also back to wondering how it made the list, but that's more on me needing to dig deeper into the history. I'd offer this as a weird recommendation to mess with people, or to people I already know are into the weird stuff. Overall decent.

Moments of brilliance stuck between some more meddling, nonsensical noodling. “Jennifer” sounded very Eno-esque, something Im coming to say more and more as this list comes to an end. “Giggy Smile” was a super fun track, galavanting from catchy phrases to crazy instrumental passages for minutes on end. Lastly, that “Lauft…Heisst” track had a synth at the end that sounded oddly like a deadmau5 song. Strange. It’s a low 3/5 for some bright moments I’ll remember

This was like eating blue crabs at the shore. Sure, there were a few pockets of tender tasty meat here and there, but having to crack through the hard shell of noise to get at them just felt like an awful lot of effort for the reward. Kraftwerk, on the other hand - now there's a deliciously accessible krautrock crabcake if there ever was one!

What a mess this was. After the first track I was hoping this album was going building to something. Nope. Just turned into a nonsensical whimper.

3.25 Hell yeah, Krautrock! Great way to tune out and focus. Favorite songs: Giggy Smile, Jennifer, Sad Skinhead

Nope

I tried to listen with an open mind, but this just is not music to me.

Bare lidt meh. Krat musik er heller ikke for mig.

Ret eksperimenterende. Men de rammer noget spændende ind i mellem

Krautrock was certainly an interesting wall of noise. Not my favorite type of wall of noise, stylistically speaking, but not bad. Sad Skinhead didn't really bring me into trying to understand it, for it was too annoying, like sandpaper. The texture is just ugh. Jennifer is like early 1970s Gorillaz. :0 Just A Second started in a very groovy and funky way, and for once I liked it. Naturally that meant they suddenly had to change it to something unusual and static-y. Trippy, by intent, but neat. Picnic On A Frozen River is again an all-in-one cavalcade of tones. The start was OK, the first transition was alright, but the last third is quite grating with some quite obnoxious melody, even as the wavy-spacey tones are heard in the background. Giggy Smile's mellowness and harmonica were appreciated, even if it wasn't a straightforward type of thing. The majority of the song is still kinda odd, I suppose structurally, more than stylistically, as it didn't quite go into uncharted territories. Lauft... ultimately feels like a transition more than a proper song. Gets way intense there for one moment, but then just fades out with a whimper? A bit of a shame. I was hoping after Lauft I'd be proven both correct and incorrect, and that the last track, It's A Bit Of A Pain, would be a roaring and mighty crescendo of sorts. Alas, it's a "what if we do a mellow country song, but add a bunch of weird noises? You know, that silly tube that kids play with that makes the weird OOUUOUOUOUUUU noise?". Perhaps I am missing some artistry here, or just trying to understand something that isn't meant to be understood. Maybe if I read some of the lyrics and listened again it would all have more weight, sense and purpose revealed - but the first listen does not motivate to do so. It doesn't fascinate or invite, neither directly nor indirectly. Not nearly as much as the cover art, hah. Whether that means I got filtered or there's no grand secret to behold here, I am not sure... I don't want to be too harsh or write it off, there's something unusual here, and it didn't annoy me as some other records, yet I am not sufficiently moved or inspired.

Look, I'm all for giving weirdos a shot - but this is just not my style of weird. Apart from a few moments here and there, this was incoherent, aimless, repetitive and unevocative. I won't even say everything I have to say on the near as makes no difference 12 minute droning opener that's about 10 minutes too long. I was hoping when the drums kicked in the song would conclude somewhere, but they were just mostly added for set dressing rather than to balance out the sounds. If you must listen to the record, at least skip the first track, but honestly the album failed as music as a form of entertainment considering how unsatisfied it left me.