KEBNEKAJSE

After 31 years the leaders of Swedish Folk Prog returns and it' as if their three albums between 1976 and 1978, plus the subsequent three decades, never had happened. They sound exactly as they did on their second and third albums.

Still, there's something amiss, and I'm not talking about the extended psychedelic tracks present on the classic albums. Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's the modern production, but I feel that the atmosphere and mystery achieved on melodies like "Horgalåten" and "Skänklåt från Rättvik" are gone here.

Perhaps a romanticized memory but I remember the feeling I got when listening to their second album while reading about Swedish folklore. I got a hint of that when listening to this new release while driving through Dalarna, the province of Sweden most associated with traditional Swedish culture. Most tracks KEBNEKAJSE choose to interpret (many are traditional songs, a few their own compositions) basically translates to 'melody from village/town in Dalarna or Hälsingland'. (another Swedish province rich in traditional Folk music)

Best tracks are "Leksands skänklåt" and "Brudmarsch till Per & Anna". The rest aren´t bad but, let's say, less memorable than those two.