Inga Rumpf's Frumpy was among the most startling bands on the entire
German rock scene of the early '70s, an act so diametrically opposed to
the Krautrock boom beloved by critics elsewhere that first impressions
of their music always leave listeners scratching their heads. If Frumpy
has any role models, it is a collision between Meddle-era Pink Floyd and
a less-precocious Uriah Heep. Frumpy 2, unsurprisingly their second album,
features just four tracks, but all are soaring slabs of emotive guitar
and keyboards, deeply progressive of course, but unquestionably pop as
well. Even at a shade over ten minutes, "How the Gypsy Was Born"
sounds like a hit single, while the churning Hammond organ brings Deep
Purple to mind in full on "Black Night"/"Woman From Tokyo"
mode. Rumpf herself, meanwhile, has a range and depth comparable to Curved
Air's Sonja Kristina, with an emotive strength which seems all the more
remarkable when you remember that English is not her native language.
The shifting, complex "Take Care of Illusion" brings the best
out of her in every way imaginable, while the lengthy instrumental break
during the closing "Duty" allows her bandmates to shine with
equal aplomb. The guitar and keyboard solos and duels which take place
above the tumultuous rhythms are as spectacular as anything else in the
genre. But even while you're sitting slack-jawed in awe, it is very difficult
to play favorites. Frumpy, like Rumpf's Atlantis after them, has antecedents
aplenty, and their influences peep out behind every corner. But the manner
in which they've been sewn together owes little to any Anglo-American
role models and little to any Krautrock basics, too. Quite simply, Frumpy
2 is the prog album you'll be returning to long after the others have
all dulled into wallpaper.
(by Dave Thompson , All
Music Guide)
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