In the two years between Osmose and their second album,
Beziehungen,
Annexus Quam had honed their improvisational chops at many jazz festivals, pared the band down to a quintet, and were ready to delve much further into the avant-garde free jazz that their earlier record barely hinted at. This album, originally released in 1972, contains just four tracks that are far more free-form than their earlier material, especially on the entirely improvised "Leyenburg" pieces. These move from just two or three instruments interacting with each other in dialogue to everyone letting out squalls of sound. "Dreh Dich Nicht Um," on the other hand, is a bit closer to cosmic folk music and to space rock, as an acoustic guitar riffs steadily while the other instruments fly in and out of the mix, adding a jazz component that makes the track quite unique and interesting. About halfway through, the guitar stops and a sax solos for a while, followed by a flute, until the piece eventually coalesces once more with a more forceful acoustic guitar strum. Though the record lacks some of the psychedelic weirdness that made Osmose unique, its still a nice little gem, and those into the looser jazz side of Krautrock might even appreciate this one more. ~ Rolf Semprebon