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.

Siloah - Sukram Gurk. 1972 Germany

Siloah's second album translates to the "Markus Krug" album, who is the resident drummer this time around. Basically what we have here is long form organ jams in a 1972 Krautrock setting. There are worse ideas than that. Low budget recording gives it the underground badge, though one wishes Conny Plank or Dieter Dirks would walk in and save the day. No such luck. Much - much - different from their anarchic folk debut, and one wonders why they didn't change their name. Hardcore Gunderground here.

Ownership: CD: 1999 Garden of Delights. Part of a collection buy (2016). As always, copious liner notes and photos are provided. Features one bonus track as well.

04/27/16 (new entry)