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Markus Reuter

Kopfmensch

Review by Gary Hill
Markus Reuter is involved in a lot of projects, these days. Many of them are related to modern King Crimson. For that reason, it shouldn’t be a surprise that a lot of this feels like King Crimson. Still, it stretches well beyond that and there are a lot of intriguing soundscapes here.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2012  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
History
There’s a cool groove to this that’s part electronic and part jazz in a lot of ways. The vocals are tastefully processed and the whole thing is very cool.
Absalom
There’s an almost metallic edge to the hard rocking King Crimson like sounds heard on this beast. For the first two minutes plus, this is frantic, crazed and very tasty Crimson-oriented sound. Then it drops way down for a metal movement that serves as a great contrast. The other sounds eventually return to end it.
Make Me Forget
Atmospheric elements again bring a bit of an electronic edge to the table, but with a real spacey approach. Mostly spoken vocals come over the top as it continues. It’s sparsely arranged and understated, but also very cool.
Lemon Crash
This really feels like some kind of leftover track from the Red era of King Crimson. It’s crazed and very tasty with symphonic elements in the mix.
1200 Sundays
Atmospheric instrumental jamming with a bit of a space element, this is cool and tastefully weird.
OHM
Rhythmically driven and dark, this is some killer fast paced Crimson-like progressive rock. The vocals clearly add to that KC comparison. There is some smoking hot angular guitar soloing on this. And, the tune just screams “King Crimson
Mariola
Female vocals bring and old world music sound and the music has a symphonic weirdness to it. In some ways this calls to mind Gong. In other ways it makes me think of Renaissance. There are is some world music instrumentation in the piece and it grows gradually out towards more modern (and Crimson-like) sounds.
Dervish
Atmosphere meets groove on this killer cut, another with a lot of King Crimson in the mix.
Swansong
As the female vocals return here, the Gong reference also makes a comeback, along with a Laurie Anderson kind of thing. This is mellow, quirky, dark and unsettling. It’s also very cool.
    
Mauls of Reclining
Weird rhythmically textured music gets bits of more melodic stuff at times. This is one of the strangest pieces on show, feeling like quite randomized electronic music.
11-11
Starting with a bass groove and mostly spoken vocals, this feels almost like Primus mixed with King Crimson. With some minor shifts into different territory that motif holds the cut for the first couple minutes. From there it drops way down to mellower music for a time. Then a more intensified version of the opening movement comes into take control. This is among the coolest movements of the whole disc, and indeed, this is the longest and tastiest piece here. It’s worth the price of admission all by itself as it just plain oozes “cool.” There aren’t any huge changes, but it never feels tired or redundant. Considering this number is over ten and a half minutes in length, that says a lot.
Reception
Mellow and atmospheric, this is another that’s just very cool, even though a bit twisted and weird in nature.
    
Flinch
The rhythmic groove on this is awesome and the fast paced movements here again call to mind a cross between Primus and King Crimson
Stones
The female vocals return and this is one of the weirdest tracks on the set. It definitely has a RIO texture and calls to mind Gong. It’s one that is too strange for me.
Same Time Next Life
There’s killer hard rocking music in this one. It’s got some definite Crimson in the mix, but a lot of other elements, too. There are some great symphonic strings in place.
Beat
Sparse and atmospheric, this is pretty, but also a bit strange. Still, it’s tasty
 
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