28 May 2025

STRÖVELS – Strövels (2025, Cassette, Self-Released)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Self-Released

Format: Cassette, hand-assembled

Release Date: 25 April 2025

Strövels is an interesting band from Bruges, Belgium. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find any information except the little things written at their Bandcamp page…

“Stijn Streuvels (1871-1969) is generally considered one of the most prominent naturalist writers in Flanders. As no other he was able to depict the misery oozing lives of the agrecultural plebeian. In a quest to honour the farmer’s legacy, Strövels combines the 19th century themes with a deep fascination for such bands as Amon Düül, early Kraftwerk or Zippo Zetterlink. The result is a modern take on improvised krautrock as seen from a postmodern West-Flemish manure pit”…

I don’t know if this is a new band, or if this is their debut, or if they have any other releases or previous band experiences, but I do know that this cassette-only release couldn’t get away from our Psych-radar, so here we are presenting, “Strövels”.

The cassette consists of just 2 side-long tracks. “Na de mis begint de processie; i. De mis, ii. De processie.” (20:42) is (obviously) a very long track with an also very long intro, an intro with spoken words (in German language) and an ambient-like musical background on an effort by the band to try to recreate or to simulate (if you prefer) one of those let-loose amazing Amon Duul sceneries that they had back in the late 60s during their legendary sessions. After about 8 minutes, the scenery changes rapidly, the band unfolds a magical KRAUTROCK influenced sound filled with psychedelic experimentation and guitar frenzy, entering deep into the dark mysterious corridors searching for Ash Ra Temple’s “light”, the whole thing here acts like an experimental educational Trip to the early 70s Krautrock days… Superb! Side ‘B’ occupies the 2nd side-long track, the 18:56min “De plaatsenaar. Slijtpap.”, it starts under an acoustic mind-bending psychedelic Bluesy way, becoming a long improvisational jam, the rhythm and the mood is lysergic, and hypnotic, trying slowly to penetrate into listener’s mind by blending early 70s Kraut with late 60s Psychedelia, although towards the end there’s an exciting and interesting mix of Folk, Acid, & Pastoral Psych, creating a fascinating amalgam of improvised mind-expanding trippylicious music! Superb! (Again!!!) TimeLord Michalis

Strövels is:

Benny Claeysier: drums, percussion

Lowie Roegiers: guitar, bass, recorder, vocals

Steve Marreyt: guitar, keys, Indian harmonium

Fred Desmet: bass

Bert Huyghe: visual artist