Agitation Free -River of Return (1999)

This is quite the impressive comeback for Agitation Free. A little cleaner than earlier albums, but still has that spacey/ambient feel added to the krautrock stew that made Agitation Free quite remarkable.

Top-flight German space-rock featuring synthesist Michael Hoenig and future Ashra guitarist Lutz Ulbrich. Both Malesch and Second are excellent space excursions worth taking, featuring droning and warbling synths, wailing guitars and the like, but with a strong rock rhythm section giving it more drive than your average space-rock band. Malesch has a strong Middle-Eastern feel to it, incorporating some taped street-sounds apparently recorded live in Cairo into the music. Second is more Euro-folk inflected, with a stronger use of acoustic guitars and (on one track) bouzouki! I haven't heard Last. If I had to compare them to anyone, it would be Ash Ra Tempel, but they really defy comparison. -- Mike Ohman

Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich / guitar, keyboards
- Gustl Lütjens / guitar, keyboards
- Burghard Rausch / drums
- Johannes "Alto" Pappert (ex-Kraan) / saxophone
- Michael "Fame" Günther / bass, keybopards
Guest musicians:
- Chris Dehler / overtonevoice, Didgeridoo
- Koma / Bagpipe
- Minas Saluyan / percussion
- Bernard "Potsch" Potschka / guitar, Mandoline, Udu

1. River Of return (8:24)
2. 2 part 2 (5:46)
3. Fame's mood (4:10)
4. Susie sells seashells at the seashore (10:01)
5. The obscure carousel (5:16)
6. Nomads (7:07)
7. Das kleine Uhrwerk (5:04)
8. 177 spectacular sunrises (13:08)
9. Keep on (3:57)

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