If bands like Kraftwerk and Neu! sit as standard bearers of krautrock, and Hawkwind firmly wears the crown of space rock for many, where does that put a band like Ash Ra Tempel? Somewhere in the middle, at least to my ears after listening to their sophomore record Schwingungen (a name I can’t help but pronounce in my head like Mike Myers in Wayne’s World). The title translates to “vibrations” from German and over the course of its three tracks indeed vibrate back and forth between the two genres, finding pockets of blues and psychedelia along the way. This was one of my impulse “let’s check out a band I know nothing about purchases” and it’s something I need to be down with in order to enjoy. Exhausted and running on fumes, it’s about what I can manage this morning.

Continue reading “Ash Ra Tempel: Schwingungen (1972)”