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Feb 06, 2015 Issue #52 - January/February 2015 - St. Vincent By Hays Davis

Faust‘s legend encourages a unique preconception that must be useful when it comes to releasing new recordings: it’s anyone’s guess how the album might sound, though it’s certain to be challenging.

In that regard, j US t (pronounced “Just Us”) does not disappoint. For the twelfth Faust album, founding members Zappi Diermaier and Jean-Hervé Péron explore a wide range of sounds, sometimes by changing the character of an instrument—or a non-instrument. “Nahmaschine” uses strings for purely percussive, amelodic strums while employing a sewing machine as a metronome. “Nur nous,” on the other hand, goes for an old-fashioned romp, banging away randomly at a piano and percussion.

Diermaier and Péron are sometimes at their most surprising with a track such as “Cavaquinho,” a lovely little piece that reveals their likely ability to be as conventional as they please. But if that would mean omitting, say, the slow-burning fuzz-rock of “Gerubelt,” here’s hoping they stay the course. (www.bureau-b.com)

Author rating: 6.5/10