Customer Reviews

Future Days

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Future Days", the last of Can's golden era trilogy, is possibly the most ambitious and wildly innovative of the three. It expands on the psych-funk of "Ege Bamyasi" through elegant, vast electronic soundscapes that give an ethereal and haunting atmosphere. It's electronic, but don't be thinking Jean Michel Jarre or Kraftwerk - it's still undeniably Can.

The evolving sound of "Future Days" is evident from the go with the superb opening title track. Layers of texture and noise build until giving way to a sublime, delicate groove, decorated with guitar flashes and lush synth washes. "Spray" offers more experimentation with some frenetic, jazzy instrumentation that swaggers and bulges, builds up and breaks down. "Moonshake" is most reminiscent of the Can sound found on their previous works - by far the shortest and sharpest track on the album, the song is full-on funky Can at their catchy and accessible best.

The centre-piece to the album though comes with the giant twenty minute "Bel Air". The opening five minutes is some of the most beautiful music to pass my ears, anchored by an ethereal, haunting base line, the song then weaves in and out of structures, always shifting dynamics and textures. At times starkly minimal with gentle guitar and synth work, at others energetic, dense and percussion laden. It's a triumph to the band.

Unlike so many bands from the 70s that dabbled in electronic outings, Can's music still sounds fresh and exciting today. This is one of the most important and influential albums to come out of the krautrock and 70s rock scene. Highly recommended to everyone.

Two tracks on this record are, for me, absolutely essential CAN: The proto-ambient, latin groove of Future Days and the in-your-face drive of Moonshake. While Splash offers an undercurrent of tension and unease, Bel-Air just sings with light. For Damo Suzuki, this was already becoming too symphonic and the album marked his final recording--completing the trio of CAN's most enduring classics. Like CAN's other great material, the recordings are devoid of fashion and impossible to date. They sounds as fresh as the day this music was born (and meticulously hand-edited = spliced with razorblades and tape by Holger Czukay) and hold up to anything from any era. Get it. This may be the best ten bucks you'll ever spend in your life.

Future Days by Can is such a grand achievement of progressive rock, that it literally gives me too much to write about to formulate a standard music review. Instead of focusing on the entire album, I have decided to only write about the final piece, Bel Air...I hesitate to even refer to it as a song. It lasts 19:52 and is set up in three sections resembling the structure of a classical chaconne form rather then a rock song. The first two sections last roughly 4:45 a piece, before the final section reintroduces the opening theme, while leading to an epic conclusion.

The astonishing Bel Air is built upon a set of chromatically descending chords that makes the very framework of the piece feel like it is continually melting at all times. It is as much ethereal as it is elemental, as if it is comprised of wispy curtains of air and water. At first I could not decide if I was being visually transported onto some Pacific north-west beach where the ocean is always bearing down in a continual vapor of grayish blue green sea air and drizzle, or if I was being tossed into the very bowels of the ocean itself. I have ultimately decided on the later. It is at the 11:49 point that a tital wave catapults the listener from the passivity marking the main themes return, into an urgency of such epic proportions and force, that one feels propelled through time and space in suspended animation as if shot out of a cannon...And oh man! The drumming in this first fourty second of velocity, with its subtle use of hyperventilating snares and cymbal paterns is so enchantingly brilliant that it is next to impossible to not rewind the music just to listen to this passage over and over again.

What happens next is the fire and brimstone of Bel Air, four straight minutes of tidal turbulance before the massive swell of disorder and chaos finally breaks upon a rocky shore in a continual dissapating draw of pulling chords and backwards rolling drum riffs, while over the top, a clarinet toned electric guitar flutters through the continual inhale of ocean break like an exasperated sea gull. This continual roll of crashing surf lasts just over a minute and a half before it reaches its conclusion, total stillness. For a full half a minute, the only sound is that of the keyboards pedal point reverb simulating the eerie unsettled calmness after the storm. Then from deep within the silence of the mix, out of the spent devistation of the tsunami, rises the urgent coda with its wondrous clarinet toned guitar soaring over the top of this continual melting foundation like the weightless wings of a hawk. This coda ends with a single exhale, as if some mythical creature like Poseidon itself just sighed with eternal satisfaction...I almost tremble at the mere thought of how magical this single instrumental groan feels, and Bel Air is full of these magical moments throughout.

Notice that at no time will my hand leave my sleeve.

This is what is in store for you if you buy Future Days by Can. What is even more astounding, is that Future Days is in no way superior to Ege Bamyasi or Tagomago. In fact, every single piece of music by Can in which Damo Suzuki was the lead singer is a five star must own masterpiece of progressive rock music. Notice again that I didn't refer to their music as songs. Can's music from 1970 to 1973 transcends the very boundaries of rock music, it may be an aquired taste, but that is only because what the standard person is use to pales in comparison to the epic grandure that is early 70's Can, and nothing is as symphonically grand as Bel Air in the entire Can repretoire. Future Days is that great.

Hi

The issue in question is only in the US. If you order from Spoon Records directly, we will send you a CD from our Europe stock which is fine. Mute Records, who preses the CDs in the US is investigating where the fault comes from and will repress hopefully asap. When that is done, you willbe able to get a new, non-faulty CD from them too.

Cheers-
Spoon Records
**************Original Post****************

I just got my second copy of the 2008 future days from Amazon, and both will not play in any of my CD players or computer. The errors say "data disc," "no disk," etc. Windows media player does not even register or read the CD's. Other 2008 Can CD's that I recently bought will play fine. When I look at the CD surface it is uniform with no line of demarcation between where the music should be and the rest of the disc. Seems like I've tapped into a manufacturing run that has had probelms. Anyone else notice this?? Please tell me I'm not going crazy!

"Future Days" (9:30) - slowly emerges from some strange ether or possibly the surf of an alien beach complete with gurgling bubbles and blustery winds. Soon we find ourselves moving further inland, dancing our way into a lively jungle full of mystical animals. Vocalist Damo Suzuki floats through the air like some gossamer woodland sprite, sweetly singing about "the sake of future days." The insistent beat is so absorbing and the lush atmosphere is so intricate and detailed, it's easy to get lost in it all. On the other hand, this music is passive and pleasant enough to play while, for example, typing on your computer. You can listen to it in so many ways and you're likely to hear something different each time. *****+

"Splash" (8:29) - Drummer Jaki Liebzeit brings up the intensity level on "Splash" with Latin-flavored poly rhythms while keyboardist Irmin Schmidt's underwater keys swim through the air. Guitarist Michael Karoli adds some choppy riffage while multi-talented bassist Holger Czukay's most important role is probably the genius arrangements he creates in the editing room, both on this song and in particular "Bel Air." "Splash" could be described as a hyper Latin-jazz excursion, but with that distinctive "Can" quality. The band builds up to a near frenzy at times and the twists and turns are unpredictable. *****

"Moonshake" (3:04) - This is a totally enjoyable, infectious little pop groover. A complete delight although a bit of a trifle compared to the best of what Can is capable of. Still, it's a welcome, breezy little diversion and a great pop song. ****1/2

"Bel Air" (19:53) - One of the main reasons Can are considered to be musical geniuses is their ability to improvise on stage, or make "instant compositions" as they like to call 'em. In the studio, Holger Czukay would make extensive use of tape editing in the same way Miles Davis producer Teo Macero did on releases such as IN A SILENT WAY. Woven together from three different tape sources, "Bel Air" takes up the entire second side of the original vinyl edition. The track is an incredibly adventurous foray into free form, an idyllic, magical wonderland. The telepathic interplay between band members is a joy to hear. In the second half of the piece, legendary vocalist Damo Suzuki sounds like he's singing about Jesus - not too surprising considering the fact that he was on the verge of marrying his wife and converting to her religion - Jehovah's Witnesses. FUTURE DAYS stands as Damo's last appearance at the microphone for Can. His understated, restrained performance on this album further cemented his reputation for innovation and versatility and his standing as a legendary, one-of-a-kind vocalist. FUTURE DAYS is a strong contender for best Can album ever. *****+

Rating: highly recommended

This is one of the most underrated records of all time. It's easy to listen to because it's not too long. This is a must have for any "electronica" fan! They make it sound truely effortless!

Indeed, I too have ordered this album twice and both were defective. Indeed, I too was wondering if I was going crazy. There is clearly a batch of unpressed 'Future Days' CDs on the loose. Buyer beware. Peace.

It is intersting to me that many Can fans feel the albums after Ege Bysami are the best. You can make a great argument for this: Starting on Future Days, Can dispensed with a lot of the avant gaurde noise and possessed craziness Damo brought to Tago Mago and Ege. What emerged was a thinner, funkier music, using tropical and African beats. Damo-who left after this album- is mixed WAY back on Future Days

I like the record, and see this more refined approach as a viable direction. But, to me, Can's sound retracted at this point, and became SLIGHLY less interesting. Even the mixes are less intricate. The vocals are run through filters, and I really miss Damo's dominating presence. I also don't understand entirely why Can decided to drop their avant influcnes and emphasize the funk entirely

Still, this is far above average progressive dance music, which I will listen to many more times. I only think it less relative to earlier Can, but I supposed this is a matter of subjective taste, not inharent musical quality,.

Side one of this album by German ' Krautrock '
specialists CAN contains some nice chugging
grooves ( better with a spliff no doubt ) - but
in what sense this music is progressive I don't
know . The original Side 2 of the album - the
trite 20 minute long ' BEL AIR ' is even
described by long term fan Julian Cope as
" a complete mess " .
' EGE BAMYASI ' contains CAN's best music
and some of HOLGER CZUKAY's albums contain
fine moments . ' MOVIES ' is very charming .
But unless you're a full on hippy throwback
yearning for unreachable release from
the human form - this is to be avoided