David Stubbs: Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany
Released in August 1973, "Future Days" is the fourth studio album by the German experimental rock pioneers, Can. It marks a significant turning point, as it was the final album to feature the ethereal Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki before his departure from the band.
The rhythmic, texturally rich indie rock of Radiohead (particularly In Rainbows ), Deerhunter, Stereolab, and LCD Soundsystem is heavily indebted to the template laid out on Future Days . CAN - Future Days -1973- Remaster -2005- FLAC -...
Detail the unique used by Holger Czukay. Contrast this album with Can's heavier work like Tago Mago . Share public link
"Spray" reintroduces a touch of the band's signature avant-garde tension, but filters it through a playful, aquatic lens. The track begins with abstract, pointillistic percussion and erratic keyboard stabs from Irmin Schmidt. Slowly, out of the sonic fog, Liebezeit locks into a propulsive, polyrhythmic groove. Czukay’s bass anchors the chaos, while Suzuki delivers a scat-like, percussive vocal performance. It is a masterclass in how CAN could take complete abstraction and shape it into something deeply rhythmic and danceable. 3. "Moonshake" (3:04) David Stubbs: Future Days: Krautrock and the Building
Why does the "2005 Remaster" tag matter? Because Future Days is an album about space.
CAN recorded this in their infamous castle studio, Schloss Nörvenich. Previous CD issues often squashed that air, compressing the room sound into a flat digital plane. The 2005 remaster (often associated with the SACD/CD hybrid releases of that era) does something magical: it clears the fog. Detail the unique used by Holger Czukay
More than five decades after its original release, Future Days sounds less like a historical artifact of 1970s West Germany and more like a transmission from a timeless, utopian tomorrow. Through the pristine clarity of the 2005 remaster and the uncompromised fidelity of the FLAC format, CAN’s visionary masterpiece continues to offer an open-ended invitation to get lost in sound.
Decades later, the 2005 SACD/CD remaster of this masterpiece—frequently sought after by audiophiles in lossless FLAC format—serves as the definitive lens through which to experience this timeless recording. Here is a deep dive into the history, sonics, and enduring legacy of CAN's Future Days . The Genesis of a Summer Record
The track moves through distinct movements, shifting from pastoral calm to chaotic, storm-like crescendos. The brilliance of "Bel Air" lies in the band's discipline. Despite the length, the musicians exercise extreme restraint; spaces are left open, allowing the resonance of the instruments to decay naturally. The climax of the piece features some of Suzuki’s most emotive vocalizations, culminating in a symphonic wall of noise before resolving back into the main theme.