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Kraan — Zoup
(Bassball LC 09437, 2023, CD / LP / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2023-12-24

Zoup Cover art

Would you look at that cover art? It has to be one of Kraan’s best, again courtesy of drummer Jan Fride. And what exactly is Zoup? Is that something like Soup? So many questions, but Kraan’s latest offering, their first studio album since 2020’s Sandglass, is another fine effort that doesn’t disappoint on any level. What does it sound like? Well, of course it sounds like Kraan, a sound that is instantly identifiable as their own since they hit the Berlin scene back in ‘72, a strong and funky jazz-rock style that’s mostly instrumental, informed by the cool psychedelic guitar of Peter Wolbrandt and the formidable bottom end of bassist and singer Hellmut Hattler and drummer Jan Fride. Other players have cycled through the ranks at various times through the years, many of whom appear as guest players on Zoup, though the core band remains a trio since 2010’s Diamonds. Interestingly, keyboardist Ingo Bischof who was a core member for many years and left this world in 2019 appears on “Aus Allen Wolken,” one of the album’s three bonus tracks; likewise, saxophonist Johannes Pappert, who was a member for Kraan’s first five albums (1972-75) plays on another bonus track, “Norwegen Dia (Acoustic Version),” one of the finest pieces contained herein, using layering effects on his sax that make it sound more like a violin. Martin Kasper plays keyboards and vocoder on most of the album’s cuts, adding an ingredient that’s been missing from Kraan’s sound in recent years; Siyou Ngnoubamdjum of the Hattler group and Siyou’n’Hell is on hand providing backing vocals when needed; and extra percussionist Juergen Schlachter plays on several of the tracks as well. Most of the cuts are defined by Hattler’s powerful bass riffs, strongly supported by Fride, and Wolbrandt’s guitar riffing encircling it all with powerful melodies and embelishments, with keyboards supporting wherever they can. Of the album’s eight main tracks, only “Twisted” and “Rainy May” feature vocals (“Plain Vanilla” features vocoder), while the three bonus tracks which are exclusive to the CD and download are all instrumentals; that’s about a standard vocal to instrumental ratio for any Kraan album. Zoup represents a commanding return to form for a band that still seems to be at the peak of their creative power.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Kraan

More info
http://kraan.bandcamp.com/album/zoup

 

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