Few rock bands from the late twentieth century resist easy classification more than the German group F.S.K. Their peculiar style fuses polka, yodels, and country & western with post-punk, noise-rock, electronics, and cryptic lyrics in English and German alike. The blend of satire and respect for roots traditions has invited comparisons to the Mekons, though the boundary between commentary and jest often remains unclear. Tracks on a single album can evoke wholly separate ensembles, rendering the band especially resistant to simple categorization.
Formed in 1980 by contributors to a German underground magazine—the initials standing for Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, or “voluntary self-control”—F.S.K. began with noisily bleak German post-punk releases. By the mid-’80s they turned toward Central European and American folk styles, puzzling the audience they had built. They replaced German surplus army clothing with plain jeans and checked shirts while expanding their electric instruments with brass and accordion. Their lyrics, still laced with tongue-in-cheek irony, have included yodels aimed at German politicians and free jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock. Cover choices often appeared willfully mismatched, whether “I Wish I Could Sprechen Sie Deutsch,” MOR German bandleader Bert Kaempfert, or cult American funkster Swamp Dogg.
In the mid-’80s British DJ John Peel became a devoted supporter, airing F.S.K. on his BBC program more often than any other non-British band. David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker responded to their eccentric roots-rock approach, producing the group and joining as a part-time member even though his main commitment remained with Cracker. By the mid-’90s they obtained an American contract with Flying Fish, a label chiefly associated with bluegrass and folk acts. Despite such high-profile allies, F.S.K. has stayed a cult concern; most of their many recordings remain difficult to locate in the U.S., and their listeners consist largely of fellow musicians and rock critics. Any American awareness usually traces to the Lowery connection, yet his participation has altered the band’s skewed outlook only minimally.
