NATTDJURSTID

This album is so unbearable that it makes me laugh. Today I received three remaster CD's of KAIPA '78 - '82 to be reviewed. Knowing in advance this one is regarded as the worst of them, I listened to it at first, trying to be as open-minded as I could. Sure, the synth-oriented pop/rock of the early eighties can be pretty good, even if made by a former prog band. For example Duke (1980) by Genesis isn't a bad album at all, and Peter Gabriel re-invented himself and made his first masterpiece (1980). There are some elements in Nattdjurstid [= Time of Nocturnal Animals] not so far from these mentioned albums -- think of 'Man of Our Times', the worst track of Duke, or PG songs such as 'Not One of Us'. Another influence for KAIPA at this time must have been TALKING HEADS. Musically, this album does have a peculiar and relatively original nature and it would be worth multiple listens, but... the vocals are the final insult to my ears and steal the second star from my rating.

And it's the same guy, Hans Lundin, whose bright and deeply emotional vocals I appreciate a lot in the Kaipa debut (1975)! Here he's not actually singing, he is YELLING. This is why the only track I actually like is the instrumental 'Identitetskris'. Some of the songs would be interesting if only the vocals were good. They all are in a rather fast tempo and the playing often has clever angularity comparable to the 80's KING CRIMSON (yeah, I mean it).

The recent CD release by Tempus Fugit includes three bonuses, the single 'Cellskräck' / 'Bländad ikväll' plus the previously unreleased 'Armé av lust' from the album sessions, all quite similar to the album's stuff, but the less vocal-oriented 'Armé' is in fact one of the best tracks. Well, anywhere else than on a PROG site, maybe two stars would be earned...