Faust - Punkt. - Bureau B - Out May 13th 2022
Initially included as part of the comprehensive 1971-74 box-set issued in 2021, the infamous 'lost' album Punkt earns a go-alone physical release some 50 years into its life. Originally intended to be released as the second Faust album on Richard Branson's relatively fledgling Virgin Records empire, Punkt is arguably as important as their earlier Virgin works and includes all the usual hallmarks from a band that pushed boundaries and challenged psychedelically-fed minds with brutal insistence and the occasional sense of fun and melody.
Opener Morning Land is 9 minutes of what can be described as an unsettling blizzard of whip-cracking drumbeats, crackling guitar riffs and almost indecipherable lyrics uttered at half-volume, bookended by various levels of sinister studio trickery and yet more mysterious vocals. It's incredible to think that this was conceived nearly five decades ago in the same Berlin studio being simultaneously used by Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder and the same goes for much of Punkt.
Knochentanz (Bonedance) and Schon Rund explore somewhat jazzier esoteric avenues with trumpets and pianos added to the mix - the PR notes quite rightly pinpointing a similar vibe to ECM (I'd add the Sky label into the comparison too) - while the shorter Fernlicht and Crapolino prove to be more than just mere interludes.
The band pre-empted the punk ethos by a good couple of years by 'commandeering' the master-tapes when it transpired Branson wasn't suitably-impressed enough to foot the studio bill. Well, more fool him - this is a terrific set, even if a little 'demanding' in places. It's Faust - what did you expect?
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