BLAND BLADEN

The opener and title track is all Space Rock until a calm arrives at 1 1/2 minutes with electric piano and upfront bass. My kind of music. I'm just so surprised to hear Electric piano. It trips along as the guitar returns a couple of minutes later. Bass is crunching it then another calm with relaxed guitar and bubbling synths with slow beats. Quite relaxing to the end. "I Afton Trans" is my favourite. It kicks in around a minute as drums, bass and guitar rise up and kick into a groove before 2 minutes. Keyboards and guitar solo over top. It's more intense and exotic after 4 minutes. A calm then it builds as we get some electric piano(yay). So good.

"Dimland" has some Reggae in it but not like that second track. Still it's my least favourite of the three long ones. The first 5 minutes or so is pretty cool then it turns catchy with a Reggae vibe. Kicking butt at 11 minutes as the tempo picks up. Sounds like clavinet after 12 minutes. Good song regardless and for me a low 4 star album but worth that rating.

This band's only release is a colourful mix of fusion, spacerock, and symphonic prog.

There used to be a time that Sweden and Denmark had a thriving spacerock scene; Øresund Space Collective, Mantric Muse, First Band from Outer Space, BlandBladen etc. All sharing bandmembers and often not sure who played in wich band.

Bland Bladen was a four-piece (drums, synths, bass, guitar) and plays instrumental. I think it sounds somewhat like Camel, Ozrics, Canterbury-style, Hidria Spacefolk and Korai Örom, mixing rock, funk, symhonic rock, reggae/dub and jazzrock/fusion.

The overal feel is very mellow and laidback, although it's never soft. It's just the way that the music performed. It sounds like it's all played live in the studio. Sometimes you get the feeling that's some lost Camel-tracks from the first years (minus the flute). What I mean is, that I Grévens Tid is not modern prog, but something that could've been a record from 1969-1974.

Still not sure if I should give this one 4 or 5 stars. I'll stick with 4 stars because it can sound somewhat chaotic here and there because it's basically four studio-jams.

The music here takes it's cue from the space rock of the 70's, at least in sound and style. A big, fat bass line is the foundation in most segments on the four tunes here, with psychedelic guitar licks and spacey synths improvising on top, spacey synth sounds adding texture and a very 70's electric piano adding melodic themes from time to time. Drums and percussion seems to be the pacesetters.

Sound and style reminds slightly of bands like Hawkwind and Ozric Tentacles, and there's some obvious similarities to Öresund Space Collective too; which isn't a surprise as these two bands have some mutual members.

Recommended for fans of improvisational sounding space jams, in particular those who fancy this style of music with a 70's sound.

This BRAND BLADEN debut from 2003 is consisting of four songs, totally instrumental, and yes, indeed, they can be considered to be in the vein of the OSC sound. Improvised jams with a happy flavour where you can feel their pleasure and fun making music first of all.

The excellent title song I grévens tid appears as my highlight - a nice grooving song with jazzy rhodes piano plus a bluesy part with bubbling synths and sensitive guitar. På Grön Kvist is provided with an intense reggae/dub rhythm near to the sound of Hidria Spacefolk and the following 13 minute track I Afton Trans comes up with two main parts in a different mood, first uptempo busy, later floating and gliding. A heavy rhythm section dominates Dimland later changing to a trippy rocking part with some eastern oriental elements.

'I Grévens Tid' is an enjoyable album and excellent find for progheads who like Hidria Spacefolk or Ozric Tentacles as well as swedish bands jamming along anyway - 3.5 stars.