Siloah - s/t. 1970 Germany

Munich's Siloah were a commune-with-nature folk group, that only works in the era that it emerged from. If listening objectively (or sober), the listener will likely note all the obvious flaws, and ultimately be lulled to boredom. But when taking in the time and place, Siloah captures the mood perfectly of the free-from-boundaries mentality that was so pervasive amongst the rebellious German youth at the turn of the decade. An aural archive document of the real underground, something that would be prefab manufactured today, but here ignites the imagination.

To my ears, Siloah's debut recalls Denmark's Furekaaben - where it would seem forbidden someone would actually record the proceedings. But certainly the cosmic Pilz trinity, Paradieswarts Duul, and Kalacakra are in this same conversation, all to a lesser degree.

Like Furekaaben, the album is hardly a stellar masterpiece of songcraft. Best to approach as background music while perhaps viewing B&W photos of German urban parks. A libation wouldn't hurt.

Personal collection
CD: 1998 Garden of Delights

Worth noting that the 10 minutes of bonus tracks on the Garden of Delights CD are just as good as the album proper. In fact, the final track adds in a primitive synthesizer to great result.