NEON HEART

CD1 (37:54) 1. "Vart tog du v​ä​gen" (5:45) singer Johny Karlsson Kern seems to be channeling David Byrne's voice (8.75/10)

2. "Tiden" (3:50) could be a punk rock song from the late 1970s or early 1980s--as if David Byrne sang the lead vocals over an early BERLIN song. (8.6667/10)

3. "Jagar dig" (7:44) driving, hypnotic rhythm track (using two ostinato bass notes and 4/4 straight time) over which electric viola and self-echoed electric guitar solo. At the end of the fourth minute the heavily-treated viola gets a turn, creating very spacey/synth-like sounds over which Johnny begins to croon. At 5:55 there is an actually shift in the dynamic of the rhythm section, as if they're shifting into a slightly higher gear (while never really changing pace). Soon after Johnny stops crooning and flute and crazed viola take turns soloing ... to the end. (13/15)

4. "Cirkeln" (8:06) the first interesting, non-Krautrock song opening has drums, percussion, guitar, bass, and flute "hits" being thrown into a linear pile. At the one-minute mark everybody lines up to create a gentle, forward-moving song. The flute, viola, guitar, and bass play on this one are the best on the album: very creative and nonconformist. Definitely the best bass playing on the album. Though it does drag on a bit, this is definitely my favorite song on the album. (14/15)

5. "Br​ättom" (12:29) despite containing the most interesting drumming on the album, the first five minutes of this song is rendered almost unlistenable by the amateurish play of the annoying mosquito-sounding lead guitar. Not even the pleasant flute and creative viola play can save this one. But, at the five-minute mark Johnny enters with a song in his voice and everything stops and shifts into a totally different rhythm pattern. As Johnny stops singing at the end of the eighth minute sustained airy flute notes, pizzicato violin arpeggi and more (but better) mosquito guitar interplay makes for a pleasant and engaging weave (though it's the drumming and subtly shifting viola arpeggi that attract most of my attention). Thank goodness for that shift at 5:00 or else this would have been a very lowly rated song. (21.75/25)

CD2 (37:23) 1. "Inte mer" (7:16) a pleasant enough jam to get into--with interesting interplay from flute, electric guitar and electric viola, but it turns out to be more like something long and drawn out from OZRIC TENTACLES than their previous stuff. (13/15)

2. "Utan n​å​nting på dig" (5:55) a cappella voce opens this before tumbling into a plodding blues-rock form. Voice and electric guitar trade outputs just as a blues song would do while the rhythm section uphold a loose near-Reggae pattern. Everything just sounds so rudimentary and cheesy: especially the first guitar, bass, and drumming. (8.6667/10)

3. "Då v​ä​ntar jag" (6:41) going after a 1960s California Surf Rock vibe with this one, there's just not anything else to make it more interesting than that. (8/10)

4. "Led mig h​å​rifr​ä​n" (7:41) opening with another rhythm pattern from the bass and drums that plays ad nauseam beneath Johnny's same-same vocals. There is more scratchy viola and sax here to make things a little more interesting. Why they didn't do more of this over the course of the album I do not know. (13.125/15)

5. "S​öderut" (9:52) repeating vocal sample, cymbal play, and a repeating progression of sustained bass chords open this one before Johnny joins in with a brief introductory delivery of lyrics. After that, the band moves into an interesting minimalist rhythm pattern over which viola, electric guitar, and saxophone have a free-for-all. At the five minute mark everything backs off except the rhythm section so that guitar can take the center but by the end of the sixth minute the other two soloists (sax and viola) have resumed adding their dissonant flourishes here and there. It's a great groove from the rhythm section, and the interplay of the three soloists is interesting, but, unfortunately, there's nothing special to come of it except hypnotic numbness. (17.25/20)

Total Time 75:17

Unfortunately, I don't see/hear a lot of growth since their last album--their self-titled 2020 debut, which I love and which I keep songs like "Dagarna försvann/Dagar försvinner" and "Till dig ännu en gång" in my regular rotation of playlists to this day. The music from that album was so refreshing because no one else had been doing anything like that (that I'd heard) for decades, but Söderat has so few surprises that each song quickly fades into background music as I listen. In my opinion, the band has devolved into more of a jam band than an experimental NeoKrautrock band.

B-/3.5 stars; an interesting contribution to Prog World of NeoKrautrock that, unfortunately, does not live up to the promise of the band's 2020 debut. Still, recommended for any fans of Krautrock music: you may find it far more interesting and enjoyable than I.

1. "Hashima" (09:52) fairly boring and exceedingly steady rhythm track over which heavily-treated guitar, viola, and sax weave a very airy, spacious, and loose tapestry of floating music with just a hint of Middle Eastern sound. (17/20)

2. Det händer ingenting (07:27) opens with heavily-effected and echoed solo voce before bass, toms, and buzz guitar set up rhythmic riff-oriented tracks of their own. I feel as if this is the kind of music Brian Eno would facilitate from the TALKING HEADS or even the DOORS were he producing an album from them today instead of 1980 (or 1969). Odd sounds creating an even odder yet-super interesting and surprisingly engaging and hypnotic sonic weave. (13.75/15)

3. "Dagarna försvann" (03:59) deep, primal groove with experimental electronic noises coming form guitar and viola. In a very weird coincidence, a DAVID BYRNE-like vocal issues forth from Johnny Kern. Again, the groove and soundscape is so trance-inducing. Probably my favorite song on the album. (9.25/10)

4. "Till dig ännu en gång" (09:09) very interesting modern soundscape of modern sounds, effects, and stylings filtered into a Krautrock form. The bass line is almost Reggae. The vocalist is almost Adrian Belew. The horn notes and fuzzy electric guitar give it a 1960s feel. The effects on everything make it sound so acid rock. Then odd plucked muted-viola notes are somehow added to the mix in the third minute throwing everything into a small world cacophostry, beginning the unsettling process of what seems like the unraveling of world order. Quite new and unusual. Kudos! Another top three song for me! (18.5/20)

5. "Tupolev in the air" (08:55) has a little bit of an acoustic jazz feel due to the bass and drum play, while atonal viola is plucked and fuzzy guitar buzzes and cries. There's a little KOOP-like feel in that repeated, hypnotic rhythm track. Sax and heavily-fuuzzed guitar strums sounding like a bank of Caribbean horns enter in the fourth minute really throwing things off. Then the bass and drums slowly, almost imperceptibly begin to shift the rhythm track, changing the speed, as well, becoming a straightforward CAN-like song. Interesting how they got all these wild "synthesizer" sounds without using keyboards. (17.25/20)

6. "Dagar försvinner" (03:19) more experiments with four or five tracks playing their linear music in what feels like each their own separate universe. Somehow it all stays fairly close together, works as a "loose weave." Nice melodies from the viola, vocalist, and saxophone. Intriguing! An entirely alternate universe version of song #3! My final top three song. (9/10)

Total Time 42:43

An amazing album of completely new sounding music that has totally caught me off guard! I am stunned and under their spell. I find it interesting that the weakest song is the long instrumental opener. Had I stopped listening there, I would have missed something extraordinary!

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music pushing the boundaries of Krautrock farther than I've heard them pushed in years! I so badly want to issue the full five stars for this album--it's that interesting--but that opening (long) song is just too weak.

If you check out this album, please either skip the first song or don't stop there: There is some amazing music to discover in the rest of the album!