When describing a genre of music like Krautrock, exuberant is not a word that usually comes to mind. It doesn’t lack energy, but that energy more often is of a focused, precise variety. This music tends to function with the precision of German engineering. The music has an exploratory or experimental spirit but that spirit operates with focused energy. No matter how free form the music can sound, there’s a precision to everything being played. That spirit of experimentation and precision exists in the Krautrock influenced music of Finland’s Teksti-TV 666. Their latest album Vapauden tasavalta has the droning guitars and motorik rhythms one expects. Surprisingly, though this is exuberant, joyful music. One might describe these songs as rambunctious even. Imagine if The Stooges and Neu! got together to make an album and you might get Vapauden tasavalta. Teksti-TV 666 have no qualms fusing traditional rock sensibilities with adventurous musical ideas.
Like any good Krautrock inspired band, Teksti-TV 666’s rhythm section provides the steady motorik beat one expects. The steadiness of their metronomic rhythm keeps the six songs on Vapauden tasavalta moving. The army of guitarists, (the band has five guitarists) synchs with the rhythm section to create hypnotic music in the album’s centerpiece “TJ.” Droning guitar passages with the motorik beats makes getting lost in this album very easy. At a scant 35 minutes, Teksti-TV 666 go through these songs like a car going 80 on a European highway.
Even if there’s plenty of droning guitars and motorik beats, Teksti-TV 666 take equal inspiration from rowdy garage rock. Teksti-TV 666 differentiate from their predecessors with their sheer exuberance. With five guitarists, a British psych riff or a fuzzed out tone can play comfortably over those droning, repetitive guitar riffs. Songs like album opener “Kapteeni” and “Ilmainen pizza”could almost be considered radio friendly. Well, if radio stations played tracks with joyous repetitive guitar passages.
With Vapauden tasavalta, Teksti-TV 666 craft something both adventurous and slightly familiar. They successfully marry Krautrock’s drone to garage rock exuberance. That’s what makes listening to this album such an engaging listen. Sometimes you want music both precise and exuberant.
—Dan M
Vapauden tasavalta is available now on Svart Records. For more infomtation on Teksti-TV 666, visit their Facebook page.
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