S.Y.P.H. Pst LP reissue
Welcome reissue of this cult Dusseldorf band’s 1980 LP. This collection of unpolished, exploratory jams takes as much inspiration from the era’s punk as it does krautrock (CAN’s Holger Czukay produced and released the record on his label), early post-punk, and Neue Deutsche Welle, with a healthy sprinkling of Dada weirdness. Loose experimentation runs through all the songs, starting with the banging studio mischief of “Euroton” into the fuzzed-out, repetitive psych trip of “Einsam in Wien (Lustlos).” “Moderne Romantik” is the most traditional punk track, although its economical chord strikes and off-kilter rhythms place it more with WIRE or GANG OF FOUR than the band’s earlier records. “Lametta” opens with rhythmic cadence and unsettling childlike vocal chanting that sounds like stumbling upon a clandestine komische drum circle in the woods. Even farther out is “Regentanz,” a nearly nine-minute, mostly instrumental Farfisa, bass, and trumpet trip that will make your brain melt and your toes tap. Rounding out an unusual record is perhaps the weirdest song: “Do the Fleischwurst,” a funky syncopated punk-disco track devoted to German bologna. This is a great LP that snapshots punk in many forms and comes highly recommended.