ANEKDOTEN

A Time Of Day is the fifth full-length studio album by Swedish progressive rock act Anekdoten. I´m pretty much a newcommer to Anekdoten´s music and have in the past couple of years worked my way through their discography from an end. The first four albums have been some great surprises for me and I´ve become quite hooked on Anekdoten. The last album Gravity (2003) is probably the most accessible album in Anekdoten´s discography and I´ve been very curious to hear what the band has cooked up for us on A Time Of Day.

The trademark dark, bass heavy and mellotron drenched progressive rock/ alternative rock sound of the predecessors is fully intact on A Time Of Day and fans of the band shouldn´t worry a bit before purchase. The vocals are as always kind of dreamy almost shoegazing in style. All songs on the album are of high quality and besides the excellent opening track The Great Unknown I´ll mention In For A Ride, A Sky About To Rain and 30 Pieces as some of the highlights. The latter contains a great guest performance by Gunnar Bergsten from Fläsket Brinner on flute. But as mentioned all songs are excellent.

The production is really of high quality too. Anekdoten´s sound on A Time Of Day is dark and organic which suits their music perfectly.

A Time Of Day is another great album by Anekdoten and it´s hard to imagine that they will ever fail to excite when listening to this music. The only complaint might be that there are few surprises on the album ( the addition of flute on 30 Pieces is one of them) but Anekdoten is obviously a band that only slowly adds new ideas to their basic foundation. But on the other hand who would want them to sound totally different? A Time Of Day fully deserves a 4 star rating ( maybe even a 4.5).

Nucleus is Vemod's companion album in every possible aspect. Most of the music stems from roughly the same period and the style is similar. I would have a hard time picking favourites between both but due to a few nice details I'd pick this one.

The early Anekdoten played a 90's version of Magma mixed with King Crimson's Red sound. Especially so in the heavy rhythm section with its high-tuned snare and thundering bass, also the mellotron and some of the chromatic guitar chords will bring KC to mind. On top of that you get some grungy power and Anekdoten's trademark smoky-dreamy vocals. The end result on Nucleus sounds very much like Anekdoten and like nothing else to me. It is more song-oriented then Änglagard and decidedly heavier and darker then Landberk.

The album boasts a number of powerful songs, or should I say that it doesn't contain anything but stellar music? The opener drives on a crashing bass groove and dissonant guitars and cello. Beautifully sad verses work against heavy breaks and spacey improvisations. Much more mature then the debut and one of my favourite Anekdoten tracks.

On Harvest and Book of Hours the King Crimson influences come to the fore but somehow they never sounded derivative to me. I believe Anekdoten managed to put some of their own identity into them. Raft / Rubankh adds some Magma to the Crimson stew. The kind aggressive bass playing here also makes me think of the bizarre punk of Nomeansno.

On Here and In Freedom they explore a softer style, something they would refine on their later albums, but also here, it is already very touching and accomplished. This Far From The Sky is probably the hardest track to get into. It has a very heavy and dissonant main theme and equally disharmonious quiet parts. This is not composed to make it easy for the listener but then, people with limited attention spans don't like prog anyhow.

My 2004 reissue adds the ethereal instrumental Luna Surface that was recorded during the Nucleus sessions, it's a non-melodious ambient piece that would have fitted well on the Morte Macabre's album, it's something inbetween KC's Moonchild and Can's sound experiments. Many will skip it but I think it fits this album very well.

Together with A Time of Day, Nucleus has proven to be the hardest Anekdoten album to get into for me, but of course the reward comes a hundredfold.

I am NOT a fan of live albums, in general, but the previous reviewers of this album were so enthusiastic about this one that I decided to try it (as difficult as it was to procure) as my first Anekdoten disc. (I've been listening to and really enjoying the samples I've been hearing through the web but heretofore hadn't purchased any of their music outright.) I agree with Heptade that these renderings surpass those of their studio recordings--even my fave, "Hole." Every prog-lover should experience the amazing mellotron work of "Moons of Mars" and its sister "The Sun Absolute." Spine-tingling is right!! Everytime I listen to this disc (which I have over fifty times now) I hear new things--nuances and cadences, instrumental subtleties that I'd not heard before (and Anekdoten is, if anything, a group of extraordinary subtlety). There are few groups out there I'd pay to see live at this stage of my life, but this is one of them. I would love to be in a room with the waves of mellotron filling the space, building and building as they echo off the walls. Also, is it my imagination, or has Nicklas Barker's voice/vocals been improving with time/age? An masterpiece of progressive rock music; essential to anyone's collection. Five stars.

This album is uncompromising and beautiful at the same time. Anekdoten is one of the Scandinavian bands which came up in the 1990's, which added a fresh breeze to prog. Well, breeze? Call it a storm, a tempest! One that you won't forget soon.

Yes, Anekdoten is a heavy band. The band is prog for sure, but there is also a clear element of metal, a grungy element to their music. Of course, this was that era in music, after some of the hollow sounding bands of the 1980's, where people were looking for autenthicity again. And you will find autenthicity in this group.

People often compare Anekdoten to King Crimson, but sure enough, that only says a litlle bit where the group stands for. The opening track, Nucleus, starts with some unstructured sounding noises, which makes you wonder what is going to happen the next few minutes. Suddenly the storm breaks loose with Metallica - like minimal barbarian guitar / bass riffs, though much deeper sounding, slower also, though that is not a pointer for having less strength: on the contrary. It is as if a force of nature (like an earthquake) sets the pace for the rest of the album.

Then comes the singing of Jan Erik Liljeström, and there is something unsettling in his voice, like the artwork of the cd booklet is unsettling (the artwork really is in touch with the music). Then for the chorus: (Well, chorus? Sort of... The music is too progressive for tags like verse and chorus) : Jan Erik's voice turns into a barbarian shouting.

If you never heard Anekdoten before, it may take some time to really appreciate them. If you are not afraid of a heavy prog group, and if your music doesn't have to be melodious all the time, then this may be a band for you. Because Anekdoten obviously is influenced by '90's metal. But they are so much more than your average metal / grunge band. There is a definitive Scandinavian touch in the music, hard to pin down but it's there.

Also, the music is often quiet as well. But don't hold "quiet" for "soft". Anekdoten is always powerful, even in their quiet moments. Anna Sofi Dahlberg's cello especially gives the music a certain extra, like in the magnificent closing song "In Freedom" (I haven't heard the 2004 remaster, so that's the closing song on my cd) . Also the use of mellotron and other keyboard instruments give the album a certain mystery.

The playing is wonderful, the production well suited for music like this, and the cd booklet is a treat in itself. Anekdoten really helped to take prog into a new era.

This album is truly progressive. Music like a barren landscape, but one in which you would like to reside from time to time. Ruthless and soaring at the same time.

2nd release? A Masterpiece too....

Anekdoten release their second full-length album, ''Nucleus''...The band is in an extremely productive period and continues to compose and perform great Progressive Rock music.

King Crimson's influences are always present. The band, after their masterpiece debut, develops better its own character. Nicklas' and Jan's guitar and bass performing are the driving axle of this band, as they compose the most of the tracks and sing the most of the vocals. This wisely arranged guitar/bass duo infuses the whole project. Anna's cello and mellotron, dress the album with such an amazing atmosphere. Her vocals are marvelous, too. This girl is one of the essential elements of this band and this is well noticed and appreciated, as she contributes to the tracks' composition, too. Helena's violin presents another magical part of ''Nucleus''. Peter's drums' and percussion's playing is always potential and power, giving the album a strong character, as he makes an extended use of the cymbals and the tambure.

Everything seems to be perfect here, as well as the album's production. King Crimson's sound is also part of the band's sound, and despite the presence of many instruments' and vocals' parts, the production appears to be excellent. Anekdoten release their 2nd masterpiece and continue to make part of the bands that are so mature and tallented. Perfect work....

In my opinion, the first 3 albums of Anekdoten are Masterpieces, analyzing them from any side or prospective. I am sure that everyone will find them as some of the most momumental releases of the 90's..5 stars to this album, too.

Gravity, released in 2003 saw Anekdoten continuing their trend of consistently excellent releases but by now the King Crimson comparisons are more or less left behind as the band have by now well and truly developed their own sound in a direction more than hinted at on From Within.

Anna Sofi Dahlberg's haunting Mellotron and organ still plays a key role in their sound providing a sweeping backdrop much of the time but the songs are now more succinct. There are less of the drawn out grooves, though What Should But Did Not Die continues that style occupying similar territory as Hole from the From Within album, but less expansive. The guitar riffs are less angular than the first 2 albums but that's not to say they lack power. This is clearly immediately apparent as album opener Monolith delivers an explosive riff on one of the highlights here. Title track Gravity, at over 8 minutes is the longest song and another incredibly powerful moment with the driving rhythm section of Jan Erik Liljeström and Peter Nordins keeping it simple but effective as the guitar of Nicklas Barker and well up front Mellotron of Anna Sofi Dahlberg provide the icing on the cake.

What has not changed is the vocals of Barker and Liljeström, not surprisingly still retaining that instantly recognisable melancholic quality.

The Games We Play and The War Is Over offer a new perspective and are 2 mellower acoustic driven moments and Seljak, a driving instrumental closes the album in fine style with its abrupt ending.

It's difficult to draw parallels between Anekdoten and other bands here as by now their sound is truly their own and while Gravity is the weakest of their first 4 albums it's only because of it being in such illustrious company that I'm able to say that. It's still an incredibly strong and consistent release and fans of the band should not be disappointed.

I am a big fan of King Crimson from their very beginning till modern time. So, when I just started to listen Anekdoten debut album, two minds were born in my head.

The first was - OK, it's strong KC tribute band even with some elements of originality. Some pieces sound as clear citates from early KC songs.

And second - whoof..., it's nice, that in our time the new bands returning back to genius ideas and even trying to continue and develop them.

So, after listening of all album, my opinion is the same ( just mix of this two minds, as above).

Yes, band is interesting musically and in techniques, has own transcriptions of KC ideas. A bit pity, sound quality and producing could be better, what is important for music like this.

But too often and too much you hear KC citates.

So, in total, it a perfec debut, and very important, what happens after (OK, now we know, that step by step group found their own way later).

So, recommended as interesting variations to KC theme for all KC fans, as well as fans of later , more unique, Anekdoten just to see how did all were started.

If you want to know how much I marvel at Anekdoten's music I will simply refer you to my Gravity review and not start all over again here. A Time of Day continues in the same vein as Gravity, with some extra proggy things thrown in for good measure such as vintage prog instruments like moogs and flutes and some unexpected interludes and alterations in some of the songs.

Even so it took me months to appreciate it. I could tell a similar story to that of Sinkadotentree above. I liked it at first but it didn't really gel until I gave it another spin in the spring of 2009. I've played it an uncountable number of times since.

That is how slow and simultaneously addictive this music works on you. So be warned and go out and buy this now. Just like a good wine this needs a few years to season. 4.5 stars.

This low profile band from Sweden hardly registers on any radar. And that is such a loss as they could appeal to many people, prog as well as alternative rock fans. There's no other band that can write such complex music and still make it sound so spontaneous and organic, as if the music already existed by itself and they just had to seize it out of the sky and commit it to tape. (Now, if you think I've lost it, this is more or less a quote from Robert Fripp! But then, we all now he's really weird :-/ )

Anyway, their music can be forceful and menacing as on Monolith but it can also be equally tender, subtle and delicate as on the mesmerizinf SW4. And in whatever form it manifests, it's always intelligent and at the same time emotional, heartfelt in that unique understated way of them. It is as though they are a musical manifestation of the Swedish psyche. Not that I'm any kind of specialist on Sweden but judging from what I know of that country and its people, Anekdoten's music seems to breathe Sweden through all its pores.

Gravity is their most accomplished album for me and a definite desert island pick.

From Within is a transitional album between Anekdoten's early Crimson-style albums and their own true voice that they've found on this album. While it boasts some of their best tracks, it unfortunately also features their two worst songs. (Actually that would be the only two weak tracks you could stumble on).

Now since you're all so curious to know how on earth I have found weak tracks here and which ones they are and why, I will no longer keep you. The reason is the singing and the tracks are Kiss of Life and Firefly. Now, I don't share the common criticism that the singing is Anekdoten's weakness. Not at all, in most cases it fits the songs and the mood just perfectly and both Jan Erik and Niclas have an excellent feel for melody and for strong catchy tunes. But here, when they're so forcedly squealed and so off-key? No thanks. If you don't have a strong voice you need to use it for what it is good at and no one will take notice. But these two tracks always make me jump for the remote as soon as they open their throat.

Needles to say the rest of the album is top notch.