Review: Pachyderm - Das Totenschiff EP

Last October I reviewed an album by a band who go by the name Pachyderm...the album, 'Two Weeks Of Spring' was "album full of texture and atmospheric soundscapes that combine "the Hijaz melodies of the Middle-East, the raga of Indian folk, the Taureg blues of the Sahara, the spiritual sonics of Krautrock and fuses it all with the power and the fury of rock" (press release)"...and a damn fine album it was too. 'Das Totenschiff' sees the band (Tom Jarvis and Nico Braesch) forego a lot of the ethnic influences in favour of a more kosmische/krautrock approach albeit one in which they use 'field recordings to create a naturalistic environment for their music to exist in.' Another point to note is that three of the tracks are 'un-edited improvisations'...something that makes this EP even the more impressive. As with 'Two Weeks Of Spring', 'Das Totenschiff' is brought to us by Brothers And Sisters Records. Oh...and if you were wondering the term 'Das Totenschiff' (the Death Ship), was coined by the pseudonymous author B. Traven, whose real identity has never been definitively confirmed. It refers to any type of boat that is in such bad condition, it is worth more to its owners over-insured and sunk at the bottom of the sea - don't say I never teach you anything.

First Track, 'Wie Sie auf das Gewitter warteten' begins with the sound of a ship's bell and the distant sounds of the sea, conjuring up a bleak and desolate vision before we are treated to some genuinely first class krautrock. It has all that one would want from a kosmische track...the regular, metronomic drums, some fantastic psychedelic guitar and that indefinable 'something' that the krautrock greats seemed to possess..that spark of genius, the inherent ability to produce order from chaos but, conversely, the revel in the freedom that structure can bring. There are a lot of bands playing krautrock at the moment, some of whom are exceptionally good...but not many sound this 'genuine'. 'In der U-Bahn' ('In The Subway') sees the band experimenting a bit more...a tremulous drone and melancholic piano chords produce an atmosphere that is at once fragile and yet foreboding. As the track progresses the drones get deeper, darker and louder, always threatening to engulf the piano but pulling up short. After the peak, things breakdown gradually until we return to where we started; single drone, piano and the distant sea...followed by the found sound of a subway busker and their violin. It's a track that is dripping with atmosphere and pathos. 'Papiertiger' is a return to a guitar based approach - crashing drums and coruscating guitar come together to make a glorious concoction that is a mix of krautrock, spacerock and heavy psychedelia. It has a raw, live feel to it that adds a vibrancy and a spontaneity to proceedings and shows that these guys can improvise and jam with the best of 'em. Title track 'Das Totenschiff' closes the EP and sees yet another musical avenue explored...this particular avenue being located in Berlin in the 1970s...some lush, spacious electronica with rich swathes of synths creating sci-fi soundscapes.It is kosmische ambient music in which you cannot fail to get lost. It's Pete Namlook meets Eno meets Coil with the ghost of Edgar Froese looking on...beautiful stuff....and the little hauntological vignette at the end is an unexpected treat.

So, four tracks and four different styles; some straight-up krautrock, some experimental drone, some improvised jamming and some kosmische ambience - that's more ideas on one EP than many bands can muster in a career. The impressive thing is the ease with which Jarvis and Braesch turn their collective hands to each approach. Pachyderm appear to be a unit that could turn their hands to pretty much what they want and you just know it'll be top quality. This is one impressive EP. It will be available from 11th November via Brothers and Sisters Records as well as itunes/Amazon etc. There is no media available yet so feast your eyes on one of the many highlights of 'Two Weeks Of Spring'