Wintrup

Formed in 1970 in their native Ulm, Kraan first migrated to Berlin before eventually settling at an artists’ commune in Wintrup in late 1971. Nestled deep in the idyllic Teutoburg Forest, the close quarters further shaped the band’s intuition for each other as musicians; Kraan lived their music. The band featured the superb instrumental talents of bassist Hellmut Hattler, saxophonist Johannes “Alto” Pappert and brothers Jan (Fride) on drums and Peter (Wolbrandt) on guitar and vocals. Recording for the German Spiegelei label, their self-titled debut, released in 1972, was based on their then-current live set, and a little more musical than most krautrock of the time. Their second album, 1973’s Wintrup, is a more discrete offering of heavy rock songs, with a large dose of psychedelia to boot. Largely autobiographical, their perfect English lyrics profess the freedom which commune life afforded them, likely in sharp contrast to their generation’s upbringing. “Silver Wings” and “Jack Steam” ride sharp riffs, revealing excellently crafted songs, while “Gut und Richtig” proves to be an archetype Kraan composition: more relaxed, it’s genuinely playful, allowing each member of the band a chance to solo. “Mind Quake” is an epic tale of youth rebellion, yet with a tea break in the middle. “Backs” features the flowery psychedelic saxophone of Pappert, always treated electronically-the perfect foil for no keyboards? The gentle and acoustic “Wintrup” vividly documents the band’s tribulations with commune life. The album remains vastly underrated in the band’s catalog. As with most Kraan albums, the artwork was drawn by Wolbrandt.