Ask the average person who the band Can is and you will likely get a confused face in return. But this essential krautrock group has influenced so many of our favorite contemporary artists, it's hard to avoid their influence. From Radiohead to Q-Tip, Can continues to inspire innovators in music.
Completists and aficionados buzzed at the announcement of The Lost Tapes. But there is always trepidation when material is released so far after a band's dissolution. Would that spark of sonic exploration be fresh, or are they releasing the dregs of their material as an afterthought or cash grab?
Filed down from about 50 hours of material, this three-CD box set is solid from start to finish. From the outset, Can explores the space of their studio with disciplined liberation. Layered tape hiss, amp hum, and found percussion break into rocking jazz fusion in the opening track "Millionenspiel", and the pace is set. Over three hours of genre-defying experimentation captures the essence of the band beautifully.
Longtime fans of Can will feel right at home with this collection. Compiled over several years for a multitude of purposes, every track is classic Can. Moving from raucous psychedelia ("Graublau"), to gorgeous melody ("Obscura Primavera"), to freeform soundscapes ("Blind Mirror Surf"), to live renditions of favorites "Spoon" and "One More Saturday Night" , this box set offers all the essential elements that define Can as a band.
New listeners should set their expectations aside. There are no musical formulas or clichés at work here, and few precedents. Can's modus operandi is to push creative freedom without regard to specific forms or styles. Some of the songs are careful orchestrations, some are insane live jams, and some tracks are multi-faceted meditations on a particular space. But one thing that is consistent throughout The Lost Tapes, and all of Can's oeuvre, is the spirit of exploration.
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