If Brain Records, the legendary German label that released music by pretty much every great Krautrock band of the ‘70s including
Neu!,
Guru Guru, and
Cluster, was still in operation today, it's easy to imagine that they'd be putting out albums like
Tank. German quartet
Kreidler is, of course, connected to the tradition exemplified by the aforementioned bands, but they've taken those influences solidly into the 21st century, adding contemporary electronica and post-rock sensibilities to the mix in equal measure. For
Tank,
Kreidler decided to take as simplistic an approach to both recording and post-production as possible, adhering to the strict agenda of a five-day recording session and a three-day mixing session. The results are audibly visceral and immediate-sounding. While much of the band's sound is still based on carefully crafted electronic textures, their flesh-and-blood rhythm section is felt as much as heard throughout
Tank, and that makes all the difference. One is reminded occasionally of the effect
Tangerine Dream, another classic Krautrock ensemble, achieved when they added full-time drummer
Klaus Krieger to their lineup in the late ‘70s. That's not to suggest
Tank has a retro-‘70s flavor, or even a particular resemblance to
T. Dream, just that the physical force of the grooves achieved here by bassist Alex Paulick and drummer
Thomas Klein mesh with the melodic-but-percussive electronics of Andreas Reihse and
Detlef Weinrich in an analogous way. If anything, the band's sound on
Tank is closer to that of
Neu!, in that each tune is pushed forward by a steady, insistent pulse that pulls the concise, melodic statements along in its powerful undertow. ~ J. Allen