Weekend

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Like many Krautrock-inspired bands of the '90s, Kreidler can at times seem like they're loving their inspirations not too wisely, but too well. At once funky and astringent rhythms straight from Can at their prime, droning washes familiar from the likes of Ash Ra Tempel and Neu!, the overall air of experimentation crossed with restraint -- Weekend is, if nothing else, well aware of its particular heritage. But if it's a tentative start in ways, Weekend is still a very listenable one, with the group taking its overall politeness in delivery as a virtue and then working on it. None of the tracks will blow anyone off their feet, but none of them are meant to! Sometimes the mix and delivery suggests the work of countrymen and semi-fellow travelers Couch, especially in terms of the drum sound, but again the inspiration tends more towards Germany 1973 instead of Louisville 1991. Aside from a couple of tracks that break the five-minute mark and beyond -- the opening groove of "Traffic Way," the modern film noir flow of "Polaroid" -- Weekend sticks to shorter numbers instead of lengthy jams stretching out forever, an economy of approach that actually showcases the group's ability as setting moods rapidly. Some songs again call to mind Can in its "ethnological forgery" guise, thus the funk-and-sparkle of the charming "Spat" or the openly dub-tinged "Lio," with just enough echo and slow-crawling bass to make the connection. The use of soft, chiming keyboard parts at many points, though, give a fun, gentle sense of contrast, adding delicacy in contrast to the darker, heavier elements of the songs. It's a low-key tension, but one that works wonderfully, and invests such fine songs as "Reflections" and "La Fille En Beige" with the extra touch that shows the promise of Kreidler as a whole.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo