** condition: NM/VG (1" sticker removal rip on front cover) ** "Third studio effort by Guru Guru and the last one with the original trio formation, "KänGuru" is a masterful apex in the history of krautrock, an abrasive masterpiece in the context of 70s experimental rock from Germany. Truth is that this trio had managed to create amazing adventurous music from day one in a perfectly consistent way, only "KänGuru" happens to be a bit less dense than "UFO", more in the vein of the reasonably articulated trips that had shaped the excellence of "Hinten", with a more robust focus on the development of the musical trips that take place throughout the tracklist. Guru Guru is, by now, generating a profile that gets closer to other most relevant jam-oriented bands in the kraut circle, such as Agitation Free, Amon Düül II and Ash Ra Tempel.
“Oxymoron” kicks off with a powerful bluesy vibe instilled in the main riff. While the jam evolves further, the lead guitar's florishes, bass's ornaments and drum kit's inventive cadences state that sort of cerebral madness based on jazz-rock, heavy psychedelia Hendrix-style and "Ummagumma" spacey expansions, with some extra industrial sensitivity that makes itself noticeable in a few pulsating passages. Mani's occasional vocal deliveries add some humor to the fold, for good effect, not being really that abundant.
As attractive as this opener is, it is in the remaining repertoire that the whole album will meet its highest expressions. “Immer Lustig” is the album's longest piece, surpassing the 15 minute mark. The track beings with a military march and a burlesque speech, soon going toward a harsh blues-rock motif. This one is quite catchy, actually, so the shift to a new motif may take the listener by surprise, but sure the sense of tension has been greatly achieved. This new motif add a touch of funk to the ever-recurring heavy psychedelia.
“Baby Cake Walk” opens up the album's second half picking up the explosive fireworks of “Immer Lustig”. The starting heavy jam elaborates brief climaxes along the way, with the trio indulging in a wild crescendo sustained on a cleverly syncopated rhythm pace: ultimately, the rhythm turns fuller and the band decides to elaborate an exercise on pure frenzy, which doesn't hide the prevailing sense of organization on the working.
Last but not least, “Ooga Booga” starts with an extroverted mood, paving the way for a rockier section with Arabic nuances and exotically driven drumming. Then, a momentum starts to build up on the basis of multilayered guitar leads that sound equally menacing and magical. By the way, the rhythm duo of Mani and Trepte is also magical. All in all maybe this is the absolute peak of Guru Guru. Less sublime and more groovy, the next section lightens things up without losing an inch of power. The last passage is more mysterious, as if displaying a cacophonic portrait of the cosmos' greyish realms until it bursts into an inscrutable chaos. This disturbing coda is a hell of a way to close down such an incendiary album - "KänGuru" is an absolute kraut gem, a golden testimony of Guru Guru's particular genius."