Flow Motion

This, oddly, has one of Can’s few chart hits, a goofy thing called “I Want More,” which isn’t nearly as good as M’s “Pop Muzik,” but is in the same oddball bag of well-executed trifles. The band is very into reggae and this album ends up having the same shape as Landed: trifles and larks, and then a heavy back end. “Smoke” is technically “Ethnological Forgery Series 59” — huge credit to Can for tagging their own cultural appropriation out of the gate (not sure who else has done that and this was early in this discussion [also it’s not even a specific place or culture they’re imitating, so I’m not sure what it really is]) — and it’s a big beautiful chunk of Jaki pounding his rack toms to death married to some spooky, dark echoey bits. Very underrated, excellent track. And then “Flow Motion” is a ten-minute vamp, sort of reggae, sort of funk, a bit like something from Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul. Maybe a touch of On The Corner? Not amazing but full of rich Can meat.