FOREVER NOW

This is a review of "Forever Now" AND "Fragment I" which is not listed in ProgArchives, I guess because it is not an album but a single track.

Gosta Berlings Saga is and has been one of my favorite bands. I was procrastinating on reviewing their previous release (Konkret Musik) and I noticed that they were due to release a new album. So, I waited, purchased "Forever Now" and listened to it many times. In my first go around I was not enthralled about one song, Fragment II (OK, I'll get to that later) but the rest of the album did not disappoint at all. It had all the elements which I enjoyed in their music over the years: intensity, theatricality, complexity, energy and deeply buried melodies.

In general, this album is calmer, more thoughtful than Konkret Music. As usual, a few of their songs have tinges of spaghetti western music themes but never overt. More like smelling distant wood smoke on a snowy dark day, evoking comfort with a smile. But I do not want to give the wrong impression that their music is movie music; not at all. Their compositions on the record have the focus, intensity and drive eventually resulting in euphoria with gentle playfulness.

Now, let me talk about Fragment II which is song #6 on this album. It is a short composition of only 2:33 minutes. The reason I had doubts about this song in my first listen was because of an overt middle eastern melody that starts the song. It is a personal thing; I do not enjoy belly-dancing style melodies. Fortunately, it fades away quickly, leaving a simple but engaging new melody in its place.

In their Bandcamp page there is a track that can be downloaded, called Fragment I. I bought it and really liked it. I wish they used that one in their album instead of Fragment II. I guess the only problem with Fragment I is its length; it is 19:08 minutes. Instead of 2:33 minutes of Fragment II.

The music of Fragment I is also stylistically a little different than other Gosta Berlings Saga compositions. It leans a little more to improvisational space rock style with strong jazz elements. Halfway through the piece there is a fantastic saxophone section which expands the piece into whole new dimensions. Both the Fragment I and Fragment II have a common melodic theme (the second theme in Fragment II ? not the belly dancing theme). The music builds slowly, unfolds and expands. It is complex but highly approachable. I strongly recommend Fragment I.

So now, I removed Fragment II from my digital copy of "Forever Now" and replaced it with Fragment I. It ticks all my boxes. Definite 5-star music with longevity of some of the classics.

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