OGO DYS

— First review of this album —

OGO DYS was one of the many alter egos of Swedish based Magnus Lundberg. This project began in 2008 with the debut release "Neptune Everywhere" and effectively ended in 2013 with this final 2-disc compilation of demos, mixes and alternative versions of tracks that appeared on the project's four albums and two EPs. There are also unreleased tracks so all in all this is a nicely packaged grande finale for anyone who wasn't scared away by the very first time they heard this stuff however this is about as obscure and eclectic as it gets so i would venture to guess that i could count the number of true fans on my fingers.

This compilation titled WICKED KING PICKLE KNICKER was all recorded from 2008 to 2010 when Lundberg recorded all the OGO DYS tracks that ended up on "Neptune Everywhere," "Overion-3," "Iulpius Dyn," "Azynder!," "Ohm" and "One-Sided LP." For whatever reasons all these tracks were rejected from the final cut of all those albums and EPs and here they are just awaiting your condemnation as they pretty much run the gamut of all the styles presented on those albums which includes Frank Zappa wackiness in avant-prog splendor, Cardiacs punk infused pronk energy, angular Univers Zero detachment, quirky Mr Bungle genre hopping and tons of other fun like funk, death metal, symphonic rock, surf rock, spaghetti western motifs, Oingo Boingo circus charm and just good old fashioned noise!

This one is a lengthy beast that boasts 40 tracks and just squeaks past the 96 minute mark for playing time and as always all music was written, performed and produced by Magnus E.A. Lundberg. Well, now. To be honest most of the alternative outtakes don't offer much as the music is so quirky and eclectic small details don't really matter and you'd have to be the utmost music nerd to even care about such things given this music is all about being weird for weird's sake so this is very much a supplemental release that offers a few bonus tracks of unreleased material but honestly there's nothing on here that is mind-glowingly different from what came before so even if you have fallen under the eclectic spell of the OGO DYS hypnosis, you still won't find this one to be an essential release but well worth it if you are a completist as there is nothing that won't fly your freakazoid flag at full staff.

Given the intensity of this music, the 30 minute mark is probably the appropriate limit of digesting such brutal prog so sitting through a 96 minute frenetic mind-numbing bombast of this avant-prog run amok will probably prove taxing for all but the most intense stalwarts of stentorian prog antics on steroids, however i was up to the task for the sake of reviewing this juggernaut of freneticism! My problem is i don't like redundancy on albums and although this is a compilation it's hard to tell what's different from the original cuts and there aren't enough new sounds to really make this feel like nothing more than a favorite tracks sort of album. Yeah there are some nice ragtime bits and traditional bits like "Dies Irae" but those aren't the freak out styles of OGO DYS that rocks my world. "Untitled II" is some nice avant-jazz as well. This is a good release that simply puts out all the unused material but inessential since the four albums and two EPs more than cover all bases of this wickedly wild freak of nature.

One of the many projects of Sweden based Magnus E.A. Lundberg, OGO DYS takes the cake for its utmost wackiness and taking avant-prog to the most bizarre levels humanly possible all the while trying to inject some humor into the mix. The project lasted from 2008 - 2013 with four albums, 2 EPs and a compilation oozing out of dude's tripped out nogger. While starting out as a more Cardiacs infused take on Mr Bungle, OGO DYS albums became more focused on pure prog albeit extremely demanding slices of avant-prog that focused on instrumental workouts in the vein of Univers Zero, Art Zoyd and Magma and leaving behind much of the quirky humor displayed at the beginning.

However on AZYNDER! all of the quirky punky humor that graced "Neptune Everywhere" is back in full swing with heady cartoonish visions of psychedelic elves on mushrooms trying to emulate Frank Zappa's most demanding avant-prog workouts complete with those impish vocals and unpredictable time signature zigzags. The angularity is turned up to 11 on AZYNDER! and this album of 15 tracks really sounds like the ultimate marriage of Mr Bungle, Cardiacs, Univers Zero, Frank Zappa and let's add a bit of circus music, ragtime and Steve Vai's first album "Flexible" to the mix. But of course that's only the surface that is scratched. This album is an incessant rampage of brutal prog workouts that will surely drive an abecedarian of prog into the insane asylum.

One look at the album cover art and you can tell that this is not an ordinary listening experience and it's so true that the surreality of this music matches the cover art and even exceeds expectations. Rhythms are set to 11 for avant-prog angularity and likewise the whimsey is on full Zappa mode only on helium which adds even more ridiculousness. The cartoonish feel of bands like Mr Bungle is also on full display much like the crazy rhythms as heard on tracks like "Stubb A Dubb" on the debut album. Time signatures have never been more unpredictable but this album is highly energetic with an incessant rampage of changing parts as if the world was close to ending and this music must be condensed immediately or forever to be lost in the annals of time.

Add a bit of monster movie soundtrack sounds from the 60s including surf rock, vocal samples and art rock surprises seamlessly melded into the instrumental technical workouts of ragtime piano and you have a recipe for some of the most bizarre prog workouts that i've personally ever heard and let me tell you that i've heard a lot! This is like avant-prog 5.0 when you didn't even know that there was an upgrade to 3.0! Most of these tracks are short little psychotic ditties that in any given track run the gamut of Frank Zappa on speed with Cardiacs infused pronk along with intense slower parts that emphasize the jaggedly bizarre anti-melodies and other timbre related textures. The production has gotten much better at this point as well.

"Montesuma Fire Stomp" is less than a minute long but features some jazz and ragtime that is off the charts in its quality thus showing Lundberg's top notch status as a virtuosic musician who can pretty much pull any rabbit out of his hat. "Dux II" shows some jazz swing in avant-prog mode. "Yoog Moga Retaliation" has to be one of the most outrageous examples of OGO DYS on steroids even within his highly eclectic mad-cap-o-sphere. "Ausklang" is short but sweet and like an alternative soundtrack to "Rosemary's Baby" in spaghetti western form. "Proxima Pazuzu" ends with an alien sounding version of 60s psych pop! Whoah! This is the most eclectic and demanding of all the OGO DYS albums and captures the spirit of the debut and then takes things up several notches and beyond! This is the stuff brutal avant-prog wet dreams are made of! I think i'm in love. Pant pant.

— First review of this album —

OGO DYS was the one-man freak orchestra of the Swedish based Magnus Lundberg who released his works through various monikers but none were so eclectic as this bizarre hybrid of prog, art rock, punk and a multitude of other genres under the sun. The year 2009 was particularly fruitful as Lundberg unleashed three of his eclectic releases, one EP titled "The One-Sided EP" and two full-length albums which included "Overion-3" and this equally unorthodox presentation of "Iulpius Dyn" which was probably the most orthodox of the three different releases of that year.

This one consists of four tracks and is just shy of the 31 minute mark with the usual mix of avant-prog, jazz, punk and other forms of prog but this one was tamed down a bit and pacified with the zeuhl rhythms of Magma which keeps it percolating on a Teutonic march mode without extreme outbursts of tempo changes or time signature freak outs however there is still plenty of room to improvise and OGO DYS takes every opportunity to fill in the avant-garde in the nooks and crannies of the otherwise predictable procession into the progosphere.

"Unua Flora" sounds a million miles away from the anarchic beginnings of "Neptune Everywhere" as this one sounds like a "regular" prog band that engages in some sort of self-control. The just over ten minute track may not be all over the map but still engages in tempo changes ranging from psychedelic atmospheric segments to jittery quickened thump-fests. "Transiro" begins with an avant-piano run followed by an avant-bass groove that slowly builds up intensity like Magma's "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" but just as it builds up it suddenly bursts into a psychedelic slow burner. Yeah the zeuhl rhythms are consistent but tempos are placed into packets rather than unpredictable zigzags. This one is particularly dark like Univers Zero's "Heresie."

"Danse Horara" follows suit with avant-prog piano based angularities that implement contrapuntal flute runs with outbursts of guitar stomp driven faster tempos. Somewhat like Univers Zero only fortified with extreme Zappa flavors that exercise the most ridiculously complex instrumental antics, this one, despite the title would be a nightmare for dancers indeed unless they were seven-legged frogs having licked themselves on a full moon of course. "La Profetaj Vizioj" takes on a new weirdness with a jittery frightful guitar dueling action with some sort of chimes and then commences to engage in some seriously challenging prog workouts with guitars, bass, drums and keyboards creating some of the most avant-prog antics on the entire album. Think of a more demanding version of Univers Zero with zeuhl rhythms and then you're on the right track.

By prog standards, IULPIUS DYN is probably the most accessible album under the OGO DYS moniker as it articulates prog standards albeit at their most extreme. For fans of incessantly brutal avant-prog workouts, this is right up your alley however for the feint of heart, this will be prog overload as it is unrelenting in frenetic time signature deliveries and bizarrely juxtaposed contrapuntal elements but the zeuhl rhythmic drive keeps this somewhat accessible assuming you're well versed in the avant-prog heavyweights such as Univers Zero, Art Zoyd, Frank Zappa, Present and even Yugen. This is some challenging stuff but highly rewarding for those seeking exciting extremes in the world of brutal prog madness.

— First review of this album —

ONE-SIDED LP (EP)

Following two albums and one EP, the one-man freak show orchestra known as Magnus Lundberg unleashed another release of his whacked out OGO DYS project titled ONE-SIDED LP which is his roundabout way of saying, yeah this is an EP for f.u.c.k ' s sake! This EP consists of 4 tracks that run over the TWENTY minute mar????????-k ~ ~ ~ !

The cool thing about the OGO DYS project that lasted from 2008 - 2013 is that every release was somewhat different despite the fact that it's all freaking weird as hell and exists somewhere within the fusion universe of Zappa-esque avant-prog, eclectic Mr Bungle, punky prog outbursts a la Cardiacs and anything else under the sun in smaller doses. That hasn't changed here but obviously recipes can change with same ingredients!

Following the more focused fusion prospects of "Overion 3," OGO DYS continues that mature approach with compositions that maintain a steady flow despite the myriad elements that find their way into the mix. "Teleportation Office" is the perfect example of a somewhat Oingo Boingo inspired romp through avant-prog territory where a steady groove exhibits angular outbursts of weirdness and beyond.

"Descend Dear Friend" is a harder nut to crack as it exhibits not only a frenetic incessant time signature change it up but has high pitched alien vocals that take the music into another dimension but at only a minute will not scare off too many if you've made it this far!

"Implosions In The Mermaid Zone" is clearly brutal prog with unconventional time signature stomps that includes not only guitar, bass, drums but keyboards and weird processed effects as well as some jazzy horn parts. Part freakazoid and part "normal" prog, this beast marches on as if oblivious to the prog standards of the day. Completely commercial free and indignant AF! It also bursts into a weird "A Passion Play" sort of weirdness from the divisive 1973 Jethro Tull album before exhibiting weird theremin space effects with alien connotations.

"Vile Glows The Blackout Tree" goes even further for the avant-garde jugular as it creates a bizarre contrapuntal display of percussion, keys, guitars and bass all going their own way along with a sitar! Everything sounds backmasked and weird vocals come into display! The ultimate Indo-raga avant-prog mind f.u.c.k if there ever was one. Wow. Another bizarre and wickedly excellent display of musical anarchy on ONE-SIDED LP which only shows OGO DYS as a project maturing into an even more vibrant musical entity that sounds as if it is schizophrenic, that meaning it is like listening to many styles of music simultaneously and for those able to process this high density madness, this is awesome!

OGO DYS is the one-man project of Halmstad, Sweden based Magnus E.A. Lundberg who has created many alias for his projects but this one as OGO DYS has got to be the most eclectic and weird of all. This project basically existed from 2008 - 2013 with four albums, two EPs and a compilation. OVERION-3 is the second album after the debut "Neptune Everywhere" and the following EP titled "Ohm." Once again, this is the Magnus Lundberg hour where he plays everything and displays his knack for cross-pollinating the most disparate styles of music possible in the most creative and often bizarrely creative manners ever. This one was only released as a CD-R on Cosmic Pancake Productions in Sweden and on the 100% Zero Records in the US.

OVERION-3 continues the eclectic freak show with four tracks all titled "Phase" with the numbers "I" "II" "III" & "IV" following. This album runs over the 34 minute mark and displays some longer tracks that wend and wind all over the friggin place but still keep a general groove and pace unlike the frenetic nature of the debut. In fact i'd say that OGO DYS perfects the stylistic approach laid down on "Neptune Everywhere" as it continues the eclectic mix of Cardaics prog x punk rock, Zappa inspired avant-prog angularity, Mr Bungle genre fusion with the addition of psychedelic and experimental sound effects and crafts a more focused and mature presentation of these possibilities. There are also still elements of those Oingo Boingo cartoony moments as well as classical music explorations but one thing is for sure, dude is ADD AF and that doesn't change here at all.

Perhaps the biggest difference on OVERION-3 is that this album plays more like a classical music album that has different suites and generates an infinite supply of tone, timbre and time signature changes but still has key melodic underpinnings that maintain a thread of continuity that makes this an infinitely more mature album than the adolescent angsty predecessors but that does not mean that this one is not without its moments of tantrum inducing angst, it simply means that the compositions are more focuses as how to deliver the disparate rotisserie of styles that generate like a Mr Bungle meets Pryapisme marathon of friggin music genre ninja warrior olympics. There are also moments of pure classical music that while executed well also display the limitations of being a one-man band at least in terms of production however Lundberg as a musician is flawless and juggles all the elements of virtuosity with gusto.

Despite all the elements on board, there are moments when i feel the whole thing is going to bust into the theme music for The Simpsons as there is a significant underpinning of Danny Elfman going on with the music of OGO DYS although that quickly dissipates when the music becomes jazzy funk and then i'm thinking more that this reminds me of some of the Buckethead Pikes that followed this. Could BH have heard any of this weirdness? Probably not but the music of OGO DYS is much more sophisticated than the chicken lover and favors quality over quantity. "Phase IV" has some great samplings from the 1959 sci-fi film "Plan 9 From Outer Space" that goes into extreme avant-prog territory unlike anything else. OMG this is the coolest track ever! Zappa outbursts enshrouded by wild and unusual counterpoints on full prog mode for over nine minutes which infuses cartoon music and punk is like the coolest ever! OMG! This album is perfect for hardcore extremists who love music at its most avant-garde fueled with a punk energy.

— First review of this album —

OHM EP

The second release of OGO DYS came in the form of the three track EP titled OHM which in addition to being released as a CD-R also found a 7" vinyl pressing. Despite being released the same year as the lengthier "Neptune Everywhere," this one encompasses a completely different mix of eclecticism.

"Alien Eggs Hatching" is right out of the Zappa playbook with wild time signature antics that excel at all the quirky extremes of his most adventurous endeavors. This one has some vocals as well and they are very normal actually.

"Princess Moondust" is downright tame at first with a steady beat and spaced out rock intro but quickly jumps into a punk infused storm of guitar with strange quirky little time signature freak outs but then commences to mix punk guitar with symphonic keyboard sounds. Lots of weird sound effects keep this firmly in the wild weird zone.

"Temple Of The Soaring Eggplant" is a quirky mix of angular clean guitar sounds with some flute sounds but i think they may be synthesized. This is some classic prog here with weird off-kilter time signatures coming from guitars, bass and drums along with some nice atmospheric extras and breezes by in a mid-tempo fashion that is easy to digest. Eerie vocals create a nice melodic counterpoint to the jittery guitars. Very psychedelic as well as prog actually.

This is only a three track EP but these tracks are radically different than the tracks on "Neptune Everywhere" and shows how talented Magnus Lundberg is as a one-man band not only as a composer but as an instrumentalist who covers it all. I do hope that these two releases find a bona fide release together some day as this stuff is the epitome of eclectic prog mixed with nice psych and punk. Cardiacs, Bungle, Sigh, Estradasphere lovers, you will not want to miss this one either ;)

Every once in a while an artist decides to create some of the most wickedly wild music possible that would come off as pure insanity to the uninitiated but music magic for those who are music fans across the great divides of musical genres and displays one of those true bouts of creative genius run amok. One such mastermind of eclectic wizardry run amok is the Swedish multi-instrumentalist Magnus E.A. Lundberg who has gone under a multitude of alias to get his sonic freakery unleashed. In addition to the grindcore / death metal sounds of Carnal Shroud, the hardcore punk of Netjajev Society System and associated Nubian Spook Satellite, grindcore sounds of Stress Related, black metal punk of Syphilitic Vaginas and grindcore / rock Ulcerrhoaea as well as playing groups such as Cadaverous Suppuration, Carnal Shroud, Orzymoth and Poopy Dys, Lundberg craeted a series of very, very bizarre albums that spanned from 2008 - 2013 under the moniker OGO DYS.

Self-described as a one-man freak out orchestra, this claim is well founded as OGO DYS exhibits the ADD characteristics of Mr Bungle, the experimental carefree adventurism of Frank Zappa, the prog punk = pronk baddassness of Cardiacs along with the compositional and instrumental dexterity of bands like Gentle Giant and fellow Swede Matthias IA Eklundh minus the lead guitar soloing. This stuff is so weird that it truly defines the modern sense of underground in every possible way as it is feisty in its uncommercial approach and dripping with attitude and unconventionality in every possible way. Dishing out a unique mix of punk rock, angular prog, surf rock, metal and cartoon music enshrouded in only the most bizarre blends of the avant-garde, OGO DYS is literally in its own little universe where music is a thought pattern that skips from one uniquely bizarre hybridization effect to the next.

NEPTUNE EVERYWHERE is the first album released under the OGO DYS moniker and only clocks in at a mere 32 plus minutes but feels like you've entered the Twilight Zone and spent an equivalent of several Neptunian months for every Earthly minute as this stuff is completely transcendental as it takes you on that most wild ride in a place where such things as boundaries between musical genres are completely unknown. This happens to be just my favorite style of music of all time and where has this stuff been hiding for the last 12 years since its release? Perhaps the obscurity stems from the fact that this was really only released as a CD-R on the Cosmic Pancake label and most likely only available for anyone who requested it and despite my ever eclectic search for the next over the top experimental rock project that goes where no band has dared to go before, this one has woefully missed my radar.

This debut can roughly be divided into three categories of musical weirdness. There are tracks such as the opening 'Sugar Plum Fairies' that display a hyperventilating mix of prog infused punks that would sit well next to the Cardiacs at their most keyboard drenched moments along with dizzying instrumental angularity and nosedives into Oingo Boingo circus antics as well as pure punk rock and then there are the much heavier hardcore punk sounds that come out in the caustic 'Conspicuous Lid Of M.A.N.' which sounds like a true DIY indie punk band on speed releasing all the suppressed venom but then it turns into an acid trip from the Wizard Of OZ with the two disparate styles merging. The rest of the tracks take these two extremes and gravitate somewhere in between but there are moments of accessible surf rock, heavy metal and whatever else seeps into the mix. The closing 'Hot Coco Luftwaffle' is a collage track of just over nine minutes that creates 'Lumpy Gravy' era Frank Zappa overlapping styles such as avant-garde jazz, industrial, field samples, processed vocals and spaced out sound effects.

This truly is the stuff avant-garde dreams are made of as far as it goes in the field of prog related rock that mixes in the high energy bombast of punk. Needing the next step of Cardiacs? Here you go! Want an even more bizarre rabbit hole to burrow down in the vein of Mr Bungle, Sigh's 'Imaginary Sonicscape' or unpredictable nature of Estradasphere then this will suit you quite well however this is the punk rock equivalent of all those bands and creates a very, very difficult listening experience! But if that's your idea of a good time then you will be cowering to the gods of eclectic in NO time ;)