LANDBERK

As Sinkadoten pointed out in his review, you might have to know the hardship of a yearly dark and snowy winter to capture the intense melancholy of Landberk and other Swedish acts. Well, I'm not sure if that's true, an unhappy childhood might do the trick as well :) Besides, even a sunny fellow like me adores them.

Right, Landberk have come quite a way in just a few years. Starting as a symphonic prog unit that rode on the waves of the Swedish prog revival, they turned into an innovative rock combo with strong Talk Talk influences that can be heard right from the opening seconds. Apart from an addiction to mellotrons and woolly trousers there's little here that betrays any of their traditional prog roots. Even on a long piece like All Around Me, the band sounds more like a 90's continuation of Joy Division then like anything heavy or prog.

The musicianship is very strong though. It's very laid-back and austere, Landberk never goes for big gestures but shines at understatement. The drums and bass have a solid presence and while they never dominate, they drive most songs forward. The vocals of Patric Helje are very melodious and sensitive, they sit somewhere inbetween Bono and Tom Yorke. Not a bad place to be really, especially as he stays clear of pop oriented melodies. The bright star in this unit must be Reine Fiske. His unique guitar playing always stands out and provides that craving and almost hesitating tone in Landberk's dim and bare sound.

The song writing is dazzling throughout but might not appeal to you if you're not into minor chords and desolate spaces. Of course it's highly recommended to all fans of Anekdoten, Joy Division, Talk Talk, Paatos, Morte Macabre and other cheery folks. 4.5 stars

Landberk's second album is entirely different from the debut. Gone are the in-your-face King Crimson, VDGG and Genesis influences. Some of these influences are still present below the surface, but they are wrought into something that is entirely Landberk's own style. An immense growth, in just two years this band has become as original as their cover art.

Time incorporates flavors of melancholic indie rock, sounding like Radiohead before Radiohead sounded like this themselves. The vocals have a very distinct timbre that comes close to U2's Bono, but it is more subtle and sensitive. There's a slightly funky vibe to the main guitar theme, it's delicate, simple but most effective and adds a slightly uplifting quality to the beautiful melancholy of this song. It's 3.40 minutes and simply stunning.

Also Kontiki goes beyond the tried and true prog paths of the debut. New music is created here, featuring a slowly grinding organ and bittersweet emotive vocals. After 2 minutes, the track changes into the smoky atmospheres of a jazz bar at 5 o'clock in the morning. It's very soft and gloomy and demands patient listening. When Landberk collapsed after the next album, the bass and guitar player formed Paatos. The dreamy ambience of the best Paatos songs is not far away here.

Mirror Man is basically a lullaby, brought with that fragile melancholy again. No wonder Sweden produces so much gloomy music if babies are brought up on this. The focus on this album is on the vocals and Reine Fiske's unique guitars. There's so much feel and yearning in his playing, You Are is a fine example. He is so far ahead of his contemporaries, probably being one of the first to incorporate the post-rock experimentation of Talk Talk into progressive rock music. Remembrance continues the excellence and has all the potential to appeal to legions of music lovers.

Landberk's music is catchy but not always easy. Especially the softer songs like Mirror Man and Valentinsong need time to get under your skin. The sparse melancholic vocals and guitar playing is almost suggestive, Fiske never resorts to easy melodious solutions but builds up an abstract soundscape similar to electronic and kraut artists from the early 70's. At the end, the patient listener is rewarded with a minute of pure splendid beauty. Tell ends the album with a more accessible rock song, though the guitars stay willful and rebellious.

With this excellent album, the band was years ahead of its time. It is unique, creative, touching and has some of the best songwriting of that decade. Too bad the audiences were not ready for it yet. Radiohead would be more successful 3 years later. Generally, I try to stay clear of words like under-rated and over-rated, but I think the merit of this album has not been recognized. 4.5 stars, upped for the unique artwork.

In the beginning of the 90's a whole generation of Swedes got together around their jul tree and decided it might be fun to start a whole offspring of high quality prog rock bands. I've worked my way through all Anekdoten, Änglagard, Landberk, Sinkadus and Paatos albums now and I've hardly found one album I would rate below 4 stars.

Riktigt Äkta is the first brainchild of a then still premature Landberk. Just like early Anekdoten, the music is very similar to King Crimson, VDGG, and Genesis. In case of Landberk, I also hear a large influence from Kraut rock. Compared to Anekdoten's debut, it is a tad lighter and more playful. Especially the guitar playing of Reine Fiske enchants me, very original and captivating. He has a very subtle, almost hesitant touch that is yet very expressive and captivating.

Flawed as it is at times, this is nevertheless one of the most enjoyable 90's retro-prog albums I have heard. By taking in influences from 80's bands like Talk Talk their approach would gradually change in the next releases. They would evolve into something very unique and personal; the way a true prog rock band should do, stretching the boundaries of their music and prog rock in general. A truly overlooked band.

I think part of the reason i relate so well to this band is that i'm a Canadian who has to put up with a long winter every year just like these Swedes.There's almost a longing that can be felt in this music,a longing that only us Northerners who spend up to 4 months in snow,ice and cold can possibly understand.LANDBERK continue to drift from their progressive roots on this their final album.This is very much an atmospheric and melancholic affair with a rich full sound.We still get lots of mellotron just not as much as before.I was reminded of PAATOS at times which isn't surprising since some of the band members here would go on to form that band. "Humanize" opens with some atmosphere as mellotron and a beat take over.Vocals follow.This song seems to drift along.I like the plodding yet prominant bass. "All Around Me" is about being stuck in the middle of winter.Sounds build as vocals join in.Processed vocals and mellotron before 2 minutes then back to the previous sound as contrasts continue.A calm before 5 1/2 minutes that sounds amazing.Fiske plays some intricate melodies before 7 1/2 minutes as it continues calm to the end. "1st Of May" is a date that is very meaningful because you know winter is dead and gone.So yes we get more energy here as drums pound, and the vocals are more passionate too.Mellotron after a minute with some excellent guitar in tow. "I Wish I Had A Boat" is melancholic as reserved vocals come in.What a gorgeous track with the mellotron and atmosphere. "Dustgod" is really the first uptempo track and the drums and vocals stand out.A feel good tune.The guitar takes the lead before 4 1/2 minutes to end it. "Dream Dance" is the only song on here i was familiar with from the "Progfest 95" album.A bass intro as guitar is strummed.Drums then vocals come in.This is catchy yet dark and mysterious.An incredible sound after 3 1/2 minutes with that relentless beat along with guitar and mellotron. "Why Do I Sleep" opens with laid back guitar as drums and bass join in.Vocals arrive around a minute.This is a hypnotic and melancholic track and i love it.Things get more passionate late. "Indian Summer" features a beautiful opening guitar melody as soft vocals join in.The vocals stop and all that's left is the lone guitar melodies. Check out tszirmay's review which describes the music much better.Thankyou LANDBERK and Thomas for the meaningful music.

4.5 stars.LANDBERK are one of my favourite Swedish bands along with ANEKDOTEN,ANGLAGARD and SINKADUS. I would say LANDBERK are the less dynamic of the four yet like the others they have that melancholic mood and lots of mellotron.All i know is that i love their sound and that this band is incredibly talented.This is their second studio album and i owe a huge debt to tszirmay who sent me both this album and their final one "Indian Summer" both of which have been out of print for years.I was familiar with a couple of tracks on here which i have on the EP they released the same year,although the EP was sung in Swedish while this is in English.In comparing this album to the previous one "Lonely Land" i'd say the first one was more progressive with the attention more on the vintage keyboards,while this one puts the focus more on Fiske's guitar and the vocals.Still like the debut there is mellotron on every track. "Time" is a top three and a song i have from their EP.The guitar leads sound bright and unique.It settles to that Swedish melancholia as vocals come in.No words can express how moving this track is for me.Themes are repeated.Nice organ before 2 1/2 minutes floating in the background. "Kontiki" is another song i had heard,this one from the Progfest 95 live album i own.A slow and heavy beat as guitar comes in then vocals.This is all so melancholic.A calm after 2 1/2 minutes.Guitar and mellotron after 4 1/2 minutes as it builds.It kicks back in around 6 minutes. "Mirror Man" is mellow with piano as reserved vocals come in.It's brighter after 2 minutes.I like it ! Mellotron 3 minutes in when the vocals return.Back to that brighter sound with guitar. "You Are" is the other track from that EP and a top three for me. Intricate and melancholic guitar to open as vocals join in.It picks up 1 1/2 minutes in with bass and drums leading.Love this song. So emotional after 5 minutes as they let loose somewhat.The guitar and mellotron are great. "Remembrance" sounds so good to start.Vocal melodies and mellotron follow then vocals and that opening sound returns.Check out the passionate vocals and mellotron after 4 1/2 minutes.Then it settles back. "Valentinsong" features sparse piano and barely audible vocals.It stays very pastoral.Mellotron before 6 minutes.It kicks in louder 8 1/2 minutes in with the drums,guitar and mellotron standing out.Nice. "Tell" is my other top three.Guitar builds then drums and these fat bass lines from Dimle follow.Incredible sound ! Check out the guitar 3 1/2 minutes in.Vocals follow.The bass is killer 6 minutes in.Amazing sounding mellotron late. I do like this better than the debut.It's all about the mood they create.

I am so elated, I finally get to crow about having a disc my dear friend sinkadotentree does not possess. I have a big one but so does he! (Not what you think ladies! We are talking collections). He loves that dark, tenebrous Viking sound, owning somber traits that somehow feel positive perhaps due to the heavy Scandinavian folk tradition, a genre still vibrant today (Sigur Ros is its proggiest "fer de lance"). "Waltz of the Dark Riddle" has a title that says it all. A glorious flute mellotron introduces a shadowy dirge on which vocalist Patric Helje complains about the bitterness of misunderstanding, a mournful "danse macabre" in a desolated ballroom, where the imagined unsmiling couple share their despair. A despondent piano ushers this into the starless night. Wow! "The Tree" is an extended piece that starts of jaunty mid-period King Crimson style, drummer Andreas Dahlbäck pounding fiercely, the mellotron humming once again, letting the Stefan Dimle bass pave the way. Within the ever-growing guitar din, the contrasting mellotron waves await a brief accordion passage and some odd high-pitched vocals, further saluting the KC influences. The gentler contrasts are exemplary, a slow, moody groove that is hard to describe, very vaporous and yet powerful. Guitarist extraordinaire Reine Fiske shows why he remains a prog legend (though often sadly unknown), a raunchy picker that oozes emotion and wails with passion. "Pray for me Now" gets a tad more raucous, grumbling guitar rampages with rolling bass and relentless beats. An echoing axe solo burns up the grooves, crashing suddenly into an acoustic pondering that is typical of this band, waving the listener into some incredible melodies and passionate vocals. "My body is ready for leaving" sounds pretty depressing (Sweden long held the dubious record for most suicides), the rest of the lyrics just as desperate , a parallel to a proggy Joy Division is very much called for. It's a "lonely land" after all! The placid "Song from Kallsedet" is woven from folkier threads, fleeting yet icy acoustic musings that recall the starkness of this fabled country, highly ambient at first with soporific psychedelic sensations strewn throughout. "No More White Horses" is a highlight track here, a palpitating psych-prog groove fest with hysteric guitar bites that will leave you astounded, this is where they earned their "Heavy Prog" moniker, a killer bass bopping between piano accolades brooming away the dark leaves from the path of Helje's hovering anguish with a hefty chorus. Absolutely tremendous track that has all the hallmarks of greatness, Fiske's brooding solo will undoubtedly make your hair stand. The delicate piano adds the melancholy touch to the majestic beauty displayed here. "You & I" is more Norse balladry, mellow yellow with more glorious (and endless) mellotron cascades, a glowing vocal and more desperate lyrics and even a hint of veiled bitterness. This is prog, baby! The masterful and epic 10 minute+ title track shuts the doors on this exhilarating ride, a massive melody that aches, pants and pleads, a series of sublime mellotron rushes and some , hold it?hold it? SITAR! Incredible, really. By far the wildest track on this cleverly moody recording , Landberk simply shine on like a crazy diamond. Together with Anekdoten and Anglagard, this sadly short-lived outfit certainly set the standards for Progressive rock from Scandinavia. They therefore deserve our respect and occasional adulation. 4.5 friendless territories

Landberk was one of the trio of prog wunderkinds from Sweden that was at the forefront of the fabled prog Renaissance in the early 90s, together with the spectacular (and still active) Anekdoten and the legendary but troubled Anglagard. All three where purveyors of dark, brooding and mystical Norse tendencies , adding colossal doses of dense mellotron, a brutal rhythm section with up front bass and bashingly titanic drums. Sadly, Landberk would dissolve into the fjord mists, unleashing this final "Indian Summer" masterpiece, as well as the intense Morte Macabre cooperative effort with the Anekdoten boys. This album is a prime example of misunderstood genius, not particularly liked by the fans because of its rather radical low-key atmosphere, quite distant from the previous "Heavy Prog" formula. In fact, it's so moody it can verge on soporific, like a soundtrack for an opium den. But these guys are full of surprises and they succeed in paving the road for future prog acts such as PTree, NoSound, White Willow, Paatos and the brilliant Sunscape by deliberately expanding on the veil on the sonics, less rock and more roll if you will. Landberk is unquestionably led by the scintillating guitar work of Reine Fiske, a unique somber style that winks reverently at a reserved Fripp or U2's The Edge on quaaludes combined with an abundant use of fluffy mellotron carpets at the hands of producer Simon Nordberg. Both bassist Stefan Dimle and drummer Jonas Lindholm excel at setting a mood and keeping it firmly anchored, just plain solid. There are some insanity inducing tracks here that would make Syd blush with respectful envy. "Humanize" is a deep felt excursion into inner pain, a wallowing waft of melodic despair, as close to sonic depression as possible. Cavernous melancholia draped with stalactites of distant memories, the whispery vocals from Patrick Helje are stunningly a propos. "All Around Me" is the 9 minute epic that defines the recording, echoing voice effects within a metronome yet organic beat, eerily close to Steve Wilson's early material , the jangling guitar slashing the butterfly clouds with soaring ferocity. Even on the more raucous "1st of May" and later on the robust "Dustgod" whether the pace quickens, the intensity remains, verging near a proggier Joy Division or perhaps Radiohead. The music remains focused, edgy and impalpably disturbing . Quite pleasant really! Hahahaha! I mean you need to be respectful of this record as it will not fit easily into a playlist; it's an experience on its own. Yes, candles and very dim lights are an option when listening to this stuff. "I Wished I had a Boat" is another platonic annoyance of doomed gloom, a palette of pastelled dejection, Helje's gorgeous voice passionate and yet repentant, a complete prog gem of the highest order. "Dustgod" has a more immediate presence, with a huge vocal melody still mired deeply in atmospherics The brilliantly vaporous "Why Do I Still Sleep" is a true classic, the perfect definition of a prog dirge with Viking overtones. One can imagine a burning funeral "drakkar", blazing arrows of fire arching towards the aquatic tomb, a heady mixture of pain, regret, respect and sorrow. The repeated Sara Isaksson wailing is hypnotic and tortuous. The title track closes out this peculiar disc, a "not a prog for all seasons" testament to fabulous prog giant that left us way early, for whatever frail human reason. If you want to hunt down one bizarre disc that many will puzzle over, get this stunner. 4.5 downy blurs

Lonely Land is the first musical child of a then still premature Landberk. Just like Anekdoten, the music is very similar to King Crimson, VDGG, and Genesis. In case of Landberk, I also find a large influence from Kraut rock. Compared to Anekdoten's debut, this is just a tad lighter and more playful. Flawed as it is at times, this is nevertheless one of the most enjoyable 90's retro-prog albums I have heard.

Their retro approach would change drastically with their next releases where they would evolve as a true prog rock band, taking in influences from 80's bands like Talk Talk, and stretching the boundaries of their music and prog rock in general.

This album has remained one of the favorites in my collection. It's an introverted album for the most part, moody and intimate and stripped down and raw. Later Talk Talk albums such as Laughing Stock seem to me to be a better touchpoint to this album than King Crimson or Anekdoten; if you like Mark Hollis's minimalist and contemplative approach, I think you'll appreciate where Landberk was heading with this album. There are four gems on this album that only get better with age.

The album starts out with a solid, energetic track, Time. Here Landberk sets the tone for the album by setting the verses to a wash of fuzz guitar and understated mellotron and organ accompaniment. The parts balance beautifully, and the simplicity of the arrangement belies some interesting harmonic turns and uses of distortion. One of my favorite moments on the album is the anticlimax: a falsetto lyric floats hauntingly over the wash: this fight I will lose, and I know it / hold my head up high, I won't show it.

This is followed by the crunchy Kontiki. Here, too, the heavy crunch of the intro gives way to a quiet balladic interior, given sparkle by interesting guitar effects. The guitar solo is a fine example of how much can be squeezed out of one simple phrase.

You Are is a long slow burn of a song, and is kept alive and simmering with little more than a four-to-the-floor + ride cymbal drum pattern, growling organ, and a suspended D in the guitar part.

Valentinsong is one of my favorite songs of all time, and rewards a close listen with headphones in a dark room. The first part is intensely withdrawn, hypersensitive, and brooding--in sum, naked, as the lyrics put it. The vocals, scarcely more than a whisper at the start, crack and falter over the sparse accompaniment, which in turn is full of suspensions and half-uttered musical phrases. The second part complements this with a lush and romantic ballad, which is crowned at the end by a stunningly gorgeous guitar melody, again squeezing the utmost out of each phrase, along with a subtle use of distortion and harmonics that's completely devastating.

Tell is a triumphant conclusion to the album, and opens up to a satisfying heavy rock groove, stopping and launching back into its groove with relish. Still present, though, are the careful and subtle use of harmonics, distortion, and effects--all the little bits that I believe characterize the finest achievements of this album.

For some reasons this album is considered as one of the most overrated Swedish prog record... Well, after years of fruitless search I've been lucky to find this rarity (second hand, of course - looks like it is out of print now) in some small but nice record shop in Stockholm for a reasonable price. Although it sounds sometimes like U2 being in a very low spirit, I am not quite dissapointed. The band is managed to create their unique sound based on stretchy mellotrone and slow and calm guitar chords. The music is really dark and sometimes catches the spirit of (just so) JOY DIVISION's Closer, sometimes approaches the late CRIMSON's works. Best tracks, in my opinion, are All Around Me and Why Do I Still Sleep. For those who are tired of cheerful marches.