Kraftwerk – Autobahn (180g Vinyl LP)

In 2009, Kraftwerk upgraded their Kling Klang masters with the latest studio technology and these magnificent recordings still sound like nothing else in the history of music. Kraftwerk is unique, pristine, profound and beautiful – all at once. Decades may pass, but their streamlined synthetic symphonies stand outside time, as fresh as tomorrow, transcendent and sublime. Though they’d recorded three previous albums, Kraftwerk’s modern pop legacy starts with this impressionistic excursion down Germany’s famed superhighway. The rhythmic synth pulse that carries the title track is a sonic revelation while co-founder Florian Schneider’s flute work and other more delicate melodic touches hearken back to the band’s prog-rock foundations as do the atmospheric “Kometenmelodie 1 & 2,” “Mitternacht” and “Morgenspaziergang.”