KORALREVENS KLAGESANG

This is the abolute best release that come from norway in a long long time, this time around they have gotten more time to explore the themes, and they seems to be more together as a union, the intruments played on this release is Alto saxophone, keyboards, percussion, vocals, Drum kit, acoustic and electric percussion, keyboards, melodica, balaphone, prepared guitar, vocals, Electric bass guitar, Chapman stick, fake baritone guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, vocals , Electric and accoustic guitars, accordeon, banjo, vocals... AND alot of guest musicians playing varoius horns, tuba, flute, vibraphone, french horn and saw !!

All the songs are very beautiful and more symphonic than R.I.O. nut you get some intense moments too, i wont spoil them for you....

and you get vocals from one mr Richard Sinclair (known from Caravan, Camel, Hatfield and the North...) on the track Vintervake, which is absolutely stunning.

This album is definitly worth tracking down, i know its hard to get for you folks outside norway, but i guess you can order it from the band themselves at panzerpappa.com

A very smooth, downbeat and classy album from a band who are slowly gaining momentum and, hopefully, a little recognition for their work.

"Koralrevens Klagesang" is summed up by its ringing, unusual instrumentation - a touch of brass or synthesized vibes/electric piano surrounds most of the songs with inviting warmth. If you have previously felt uneasy over the avant-prog tendency to play mainly short and sudden notes then to listen to this album is to gain a new perspective on the genre, as it reverberates gloriously, often to the point of bringing Bohren & The Club of Gore, Mike Oldfield's suites or the most luxurious-sounding post-rock bands to mind.

Each song is justified by at least one interesting musical idea. "Snill Sang på Bånd" is a very inventive jazz-based track which brings to mind luminaries such as Zappa and Tipographica, and is as charming and natural as their output. "Etyde" is underpinned by muted guitar playing that sounds like Mr. Fripp slowly slipping out of his favourite scale, and when 12-strings and flutes are added to the track in its closing moments, it becomes irresistibly lush.

None of what I've described sounds half as challenging as your average RIO band, and the reason that "Koralrevens Klagesang" only receives 4 stars from this reviewer is that it seems very safe in certain places where a musical leap would have been appreciated. Luckily, this restraint makes the album that much more accessible to people who don't consider themselves avant-prog fans - two spins of this and you'll be digging back through the ReR catalog, along with Panzerpappa's back discography.

Thanks again to Avestin for bringing this band to my attention and check out his terrific interview with PANZERPAPPA that can be found on this site. This Norwegian band has been influenced greatly by Frank Zappa and I was reminded of HENRY COW, UNIVERS ZERO, HATFIELD AND THE NORTH and in particular THE MUFFINS while enjoying this disc. They have a lighter, often jazzy sound with sax leading the way. There's certainly a Chamber music vibe at times as well.The band thanks in the liner notes fellow Norwegians and friends WHITE WILLOW as well as ANEKDOTEN who they have opened for on several occasions.

The album opens with "Korallrevens Klagesang I" a solemn song that reminded me a little of SINKADUS. This mournful tune features trombone, tuba, french horn and trumpet. These horn instruments are also on the next song "Korallrevens Klagesang II" but this song is more upbeat and jazzy. It also includes guitar, keys and cymbals.The interplay is incredible. "Kantonesisk Kanotur" features flute, light drums, vibraphone and some organ later. "Apraxia" is another good song with some gentle guitar before 3 minutes.

"Snill Sang Pa Band" has a lot of tempo changes with banjo and accordion.The song stops 5 minutes in and starts all over again. "Etyde" has a great guitar melody as sax plays over top. There is some flute, clarinet and accordion on this one and I like the beautiful sax melodies 5 minutes in. "Vintervake" features ex CARAVAN singer Richard Sinclair on vocals which makes this song a highlight. "Frenetisk Frenologi" is the longest song and it has climate changes throughout. Mellotron before 2 minutes, and there is some heaviness for the first and only time on this record (6 minutes in) as the song closes with piano and flute. "Koralrevens Klagesang III" is less than 3 minutes long and features acoustic guitar and clarinet. Nice.

A very talented band who have impressed me a great deal with this album. A solid 4 stars.

If cheerfulness had a sound, Panzerpappa would compose the soundtrack to it

This album has several layers to it, a varied style with complementing elements. There's the "having fun", playful and humorous attitude that is in the roots of the melody. This might remind some Samla Mammas Manna, Ensemble Nimbus and Miriodor on one side; if not in sound, then in style ("Snill Sang Pa Band" where there is also some jazz thrown in). This particular aspect of their music is also in the spirit of Canterburian bands such as Hatfield And The North and one should simply listen to "Vintervake" with Richard Sinclair singing to realize it. In several tracks ("Koralrevens Klagesang II ", "Kantonesisk Kantour") there is also a tinge of Zeuhl elements; listen to the throbbing bass line and the chant-like rhythm; at other times there is a clear (to me as least) reference to Univers Zero more ominous sounding UZ type chords are playing. But this is not at all the general sound of the album as those parts are less dominant and only form a part of a whole that is, as said above, diverse and more on the cheerful side. There is the more experimental side where the musicians "dare" play beyond the invisible line that separates Panzerpappa from the avant-garde bands and this attitude is found all throughout the various tracks embedded in parts of the tunes (a weird sound here, an exploratory bit there). But overall, I don't class Panzerpappa with the type of avant-rock bands that have a repelling effect on people not acquainted with it. This is, as said above, more in the "tradition" of the SMM "school of RIO" (while taking influence from other RIO bands as well) and the Canterbury "sound". It is quite accessible (at least I think so) and very melodic.

Now, let's say I am in such a mood after a day's work or on Sunday morning that I want some music that will bring a good feeling to my heavy burdened mind and distract me for some time from my troubles. Then this album would be an excellent choice. From its starting thumping rhythm on the second track to its beautiful melodies ("Kantonesisk Kantour " and "Vintervake" are essential listening) and then to the complex, diverse and well structured closing tracks, this album is a delight to listen to. It also has a great flow to it, and a good track ordering.

Another great thing about the album is the varied instrumentation used by the talented musicians. Each one is listed with several instruments on the cd cover and you hear the rich sounding result in the album. "Kantonesisk Kantour" is a good example of such track where the band uses a lot of the "arsenal" at their disposal.

There is no compromise of melody in favour of experimentation, show of complexity or anything of that sort (and vice versa). The impressions that I have when thinking of this album, are its striking well crafted melodies, its instrumentation and appealing song structure, complexity and variety. I get the feeling that the band members were having a great time playing those compositions. Maybe it's because of the nature of the music, but I get the sense that they are having fun while being submersed in the tunes (granted, this is perhaps the case with many bands. or maybe not.).

So, overall, this is quite the varied album, and while those bands mentioned above are influences and good point of references, the music has its own identity, its distinctiveness and own characteristics. Moreover, there is a groovy feeling in some parts that make you move to the rhythm (Koralrevens Klagesang II and Kantonesisk Kantour are two good examples).

I'll pick just one piece of music from this album to focus on: If I had to pick just one tune from the album that perhaps not represents Panzerpappa best, but it is the one I enjoy most, then Kantonesisk Kantour is the obvious choice. Varied in instrumentation and in styles played throughout the track, beautiful and captivating melody, catchy chorus line, excellent musicianship, complexity of song structure, originality, creativeness - what more can you ask in one piece of music?

This album has grown in a short time to be one of my favourites. It is an album that cheers me up, makes me see a brighter side to life (which for me is something that rarely happens); an album that fills me with the joy of listening to music. To make you understand how much I love this album, I'll give this example: this is an album that I would miss very much and get depressed if I was told I could never listen to it again. Is it clear enough?

The latest (so far) Panzerpappa release is probably the only one you'll find easily, but rest assured, it's probably their most representative. Our Norwegians are well within the line of fellow Scandinavians Qoph, Ensemble Nimbus, the Samla saga, Uzva and Alammailman Vasarat when it comes to avant- prog , but their music can also be likened to the Québecois school of Miriodor, Rouge Ciel or Interference Sardines or the Belgian trad of Univers Zero, Cro Magnon, Hardscore, Aranis, Julverne and many more. But Panzerpappa is also a certain kind of Canterbury-esque musical spirit, from the early Henry Cow to The Muffins or Supersister or Area, although this second affinity is not quite as determining on their music as is the former. Armed with a bunch of guest musicians (among which Richard Sinclair), with a simple digipack and a naïve fishbowl drawing for artwork, this album gives a rather warm feel to the listener

The first part of the three-part title track starts on a dissonant "bottom of the sea" type of music, but it's just an intro to the second movement which has a much wilder soul, somewhere Crimson and some White Willow or Wobbler-type of Nordic prog (mellotron city), while retaining the typical avant-prog instrumentation. This track together with the following Kenotur and Apraxia are the first apex of the album, dealing some heavy melancholic tracks. Although there are rarely more than four (max five) musicians playing at the same time, you get the impression of much more than that, through the multitude of different instruments used throughout the course of the album and the wild jumpy and quirky songwriting always searching for meanders, detours and shortcuts, giving you ears that dizzyness that progheads yearn for.

After such an hectic and epic trio of tracks, the band then returns to their more traditional grounds (avant-prog) with the short Snill Sang Pa and Etyde with the accordion being a dominant instrument, the latter being the much more interesting of the two. Much in the same line is the Sinclair-sung Vintertake, the album's second apex, with its superb ambiance.

Returning to the more retro-prog sound , Frenetisk Frenologi, is really taking crimson-type of Anekdoten mellotron-laden track, running/mincing it through the Miriodor meat grinder and the resulting is some of the most delicious Panzerpappa avant-prog song, the perfect fusion of the two styles, the song's second part bringing some crunchy "arranged" (read synthesized) guitar riffs to give the "oomph" it needed the but it digresses into a wild and frenetic cavalcade. The third part of the title track is a bit the album outro of the first and second movement, a short sweet folkish, almost-medieval end.

If you're a typical neo-prog and retro-prog fan and have had problems getting in more difficult like RIO, or avant-prog I would propose you two albums that use that typical Scandinavian melancholic retro-prog of Anekdoten, Sinkadus, White Willow (etc.) and use those sonorities on much riskier grounds. Indeed Thinking Plague's In Extremis might get to finally "get" what RIO is about and this very album, Panzerpappa's Koralrevens, should finally allow you to "get" what avant-prog is all about. Be careful with this album, it could have some undesired suide effects and have young discovering Debile Menthol or News From Babvel and a few months later, you'll be selling those horrible TFK or PT albums that you shouldn't have bought in the first place.

Panzerpappa followed up their excellent Farlig Vandring with another beautiful release titled Koralrevens Klagesang. Unlike Panzerpappa's previous offering, this time around, this Norwegian quartet decided to feature quite a few guest appearances on their latest studio release. Among them is the legendary Canterbury Scene artist Richard Sinclair who contributes a one track vocal performance on what otherwise should be considered an almost completely instrumental album.

The album begins with the first of the three short Koralrevens Klagesang compositions. Part I doesn't really make much sense as an intro and unless you've heard Part III this album introduction doesn't really leave much of an impression. Things do heat up a bit with Koralrevens Klagesang II which to my ears is the most adventurous and consistent compositions on the album featuring a strong melody and a few interesting style shifts throughout its mere 5 minutes play time.

Just like Farlig Vandring this album features two lengthier pieced but that's pretty much where all comparison stops since neither Kantonesisk Kantour nor Frenetisk Frenologi come close to the quality of the previous album's masterpieces. Kantonesisk Kantour does start with an intro that lured me into assuming that I was in for a real treat but the composition changes its direction halfway through and even features some Zeuhl-sounding song towards the end of the track. Frenetisk Frenologi (For Nybegynnere) with it's 14 minutes of play time does offer quite a few twist and turns going from pure jazz to some metal sounding sections. Unfortunately the end results aren't all that specular although the composition does offer enough creative peaks to keep me entertain all through its duration.

What makes Koralrevens Klagesang stand out in comparison to Panzerpappa's previous release is the softer side of their sound that is highlighted with the gentle acoustic instrumental number titled Apraxia and Vintervake featuring the soft voice of Richard Sinclair. I do enjoy this slight new style change and I'm sure that the band's next album, that was announced in May 2009, will take even better use of this stylistic approach.

Koralrevens Klagesang might not be the step forward I was hoping for after hearing Farlig Vandring but the band definitely shows that they can create great music even with slightly lesser material.

***** star songs: Koralrevens Klagesang II (4:55)

**** star songs: Kantonesisk Kantour (9:12) Apraxia (3:27) Snill Sang På Bånd (5:59) Etyde (6:20) Vintervake (5:35) Frenetisk Frenologi (14:16) Koralrevens Klagesang III (2:49)

*** star songs: Koralrevens Klagesang I (2:41)