Can
Future Days (Remastered)
Spoon

God I love Can. They've got such a beautiful sound: muscular yet flexible; sexy, dreamy and funky all once. What they can do with the standard rock line-up is alchemical. And after the first batch of remasters, the best of which were Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi, here comes the gorgeous liquid dream of Future Days.

Recorded during a balmy summer, you can almost hear waves crashing against the shore, the heat rising from the streets. Where other Can albums sound distinctly urban, this is coastal. Airy, spacious and summery, the atmosphere here is more positive and lighthearted than their other releases.

Opener "Future Days" has an almost calypso feel to it once it emerges from its barely-there introduction. "Spray" is a little more dark and angular but maintains a buoyancy that is infectious. "Moonshake" is short and sexy, with an irresistible swing. And then expansive finale "Bel-Air" swoons off into the stratosphere with its numerous groovy passages that ebb and flow over the course of twenty minutes.

This is a great album for Damo Suzuki fans as his wafting vocals are especially alluring and melodic. The rhythm section, as ever, is impeccable, with Jaki Liebezeit's jazzy patterns locking down the groove but always dancing around it, and Holger Czukay's bass weaving and diving in unison, never overplaying. This is a good record to hear the interplay of Michael Karoli's guitar and Irmin Schmidt's keyboard too, as they impressionistically dance across the surface of these beautiful songs.

My favourite Can album used to be Tago Mago. Now it's Future Days. Get both, and while you're at it, delve into the rest of their remastered stuff ... these guys are genius.

Copyright © 2005 Tim Clarke