KEBNEKAISE

Up here in the cold north, we have a very similar sounding folk music. Whether you travel to Sweden, Denmark or Norway - there are definite trademarks of an old kind of music that has been in existence for many many centuries. I've actually grown up on this music, and I remember my grandparents dancing along to this unique sounding waltz music quite clearly, and I guess it goes way back into my early childhood years. They were dressed up in traditional costumes - my grandmother wearing a red dress with some kind of apron on top of it. Wooden clogs on her feet - just like my grandpa, and all these other superfluous clothes items, which at the time seemed completely ridiculous to me, as they were on the verge of swinging wildly around on the dance floor. Keeping warm should be the least of their concerns, but what did I know? I clearly remember thinking to myself, that these two strange persons, whom both were part of my family - looked remarkably like Christmas elves, especially my grandpa, who always wore a red woollen pointy pixie hat.

Then the music started and you were instantly thrown into this wild riding violin lead folk ditty - catapulting the dancers into one another -twirling around themselves in some kind of human generated vortex. Bizarrely enough, that is about the best description I can think of regarding this very release. The music on Kebnekaise's third outing, aptly named lll, does the same sort of thing, and I find myself deeply immersed in these old mental pictures of frantic folk dancers twirling wildly about, each and every time I put it on. Yes the music is largely focused on the old Scandinavian folk music, and yes the violin sounds hectic and skewed, spiralling around itself - keeping the beat, yet there is so much more to this album than what meets the ear.

In a most alluring kind of way, Kebnekaise's albums never really sound the same. You'll probably pick up some subtle similarities suggesting that it's the same band, but each album has something new to say. Whereas the self-titled second album sponsored a distinct psychedelic feel to it, sounding like a decisively folky type of Krautrock to yours truly - this one elaborates on the folk tendencies. The first track Leksands brudmarsch is a perfect example of this natural progression. The musical theme is taken directly from a bridal march, though here it is heavily infused by congas and all around fuzzy and frenetic instrumentation. Like all the other tunes here which rely on old school Scandinavian folk thematics, the feel of the thing is somewhat split into the authentic vibe often coming from the duetting violin and guitar, and then what happens around it: a far more psychedelic and rhythmically enhanced pseudo psychedelic music that simply defies description. I guess we're back at those twirling dancers again...

Just like another Swedish band I reviewed not too long ago called Archimedes Badkar, you get the impression that Kebnekaise were trying to challenge the sonic framework of this old national music - adding African and Spanish percussions to the mix. Throwing some psychedelic fiery electric guitars in there - lighting things up nicely.

Then again, when you think you've got this album pinned down, it throws a piece like St. John at you, and alakazam! We're in Benny Hill country! Taking the role of soundtrack to one of England's favourite silent funny men, you're tempted to start all over in your pensive philosophizing about this band's true nature. Well don't you worry, because while this track delivers some brand new musical impressions, and you're most likely imagining this long train of people maniacally chasing Benny around the lawn - the emphasis on folk is still there, albeit in a slightly different dressing. Great you might say, - we finally hit the nail on the head and we can safely pop this mother up on the right shelf - stick this bun in the oven flick it on high and start worrying about dish washing, feeding the koala and other such important things. Hhhmm yeah well maybe not entirely, because when you get to the centrepiece of lll, the second bitch slap occurs. Full blown Krautrock all of a sudden pours out of the speakers. Sticky, gooey and slimy music shambling its way into unknown territories. The guitar takes the lead, the drums transform into old Indian callings - ghost dances - foggy soundscapes - confused expressive earthworm on its belly - emanating this soothing type of salute to the soil. Swoosh - and the worm is gone, maracas march on forward - what sounds like mandolins take off gently - persuading the music for a loftier climate - delivering some welcomed wings to the piece. All of this manufactured in true Krautrock style - focusing on jamming instrumental freedom. Goes without saying that this particular track, Balladen om björnbär och nätmelon (The Ballad of blackberries and Musk-melon), is my favourite out of the lot. I just love it - and I have this unbridled urge to lick it .

I know I've probably tainted this release in an unfair traditional folk light, but just remember that all this sonic candy comes across in a totally original way, which is both highly psychedelic as well as being extremely danceable. If it's been far too long since the last time you aired your wooden clogs to a good waltz, then by all means go ahead and get this. I promise you, you'll never look at a pair of clogs quite the same again - let alone that one true love of yours after the somewhat bizarre cheek-to-cheek you had during Polska från Bingsjö. Someone should probably have told you guys, that you were dancing to a polka....

Despite being known mostly as an folk/prog rock act,this album contains standard guitar- based hard rock,influenced by the likes of MOUNTAIN and THE CREAM and sounding similar to very early RUSH at times.Powerful playing with often dual guitars,bluesy influences,catchy solos and a humurous edge around is what the listener will face here with a very dynamic rhythm section backing up.The performance is really decent,but what actually spoils the album is the lack of any kind of surprises and the abscence of some personal approach.A few Scandinavian traces can be found here and there,but they are only traces,far from what this band actually had to offer.Additionally the vocals are rather dull and definitely not for my taste.

The feeling this album leaves the listener is the same with the top of the Kebnekaise mountain,after which the band was named: Cold.Recommended only for fans of early-70's guitar-driven hard rock but with no appeal to prog fans at all.

In this case, the album starts out as a Swedish folk music album. Folk music mostly from Dalarna if I am not wrong. The album then changes over to a more straight Jazz album. At the end, the styles merges in the bonus track, which is a live version of Horgalåten. A track which is also a space rock track where the guitarist and the rest of the band uses as an improvisation excersise.

Space rock and jazz is not what you think you get when the album starts with a straight folk music tune called Rättvikarnas Gånglåt though. To be fair, they have tried to root their jazzy and space rock excesses in their folk rock roots. And that with a high degree of success. My problem is that I cannot stand Swedish or Scandinavian folk music at all. I think this type of music is a piece of squirrel dung, in general terms. This is a matter of personal preferences though. I am therefore far more happier when Kebnekaise moves into space rock and jazz on this album. The bonus track, the live version of Horgalåten, is far better than the studio version of this track. The jazz tracks at the end of this album is far better than the opening track Rättvikarnas Gånglåt. In short, this is a album that swings between poor and good. But ultimate, this is not my kind of album. I find it messy. There is no tracks here I really like too. Hence my modest sprinkling of stars.

2 stars

This album is an oddity in Kebnekajse's discography. In fact, it is not. Kebnekajse changed style on almost every album. It is very difficult to pinpoint this band. Anyway, Kebnekajse went to Africa (West Africa to be more precise) and returned with an album which is so diverse that it is difficult to describe.

Yes, they sounds like Osibasa and Paul Simon on Graceland. But how the holy squirrel they also included some Soft Machine type of jazz on this album is something I do not understand. Some modern rock is also included here. The album is supposed to be from Africa, but it ends up somewhere near Madrid, Spain when all influences is taken into account. Bewildering !

I prefer the Soft Machine themes here. But the few African themes here are also great. But this album is so diverse and bewildering that it is impossible to really embrace this album. For me, at least. This album is just a filler in a Kebnekajse collection and will not be played again by me. 2 stars is a sufficient distribution of stars.

2 stars

The music on Kebnekaise III is much less guitar driven and instead the melodies are greatly complemented by the use of harmonica, violin, mandolin and congas that are a lot more prominent in the mix. The sound production and mixing have been greatly improved by 1975 which means that the sound is much clearer, meaning that every instrumental contribution now actually adds to the music instead of just polluting the recording with even more muddy sound. Still it's the composition quality that has improved the most this time around. The first three numbers titled Leksands Brudmarsch, Polska Från Härjedalen and Eklundapolskan feel like an interconnected concept piece where each of the following tracks picks up on the themes from the previous one. This is also where Kebnekajse shows the most development in their craft of fusing great folk melodies with rock music arrangements.

Skänklåt Till Spelman is a pretty traditional sounding performance that I would have probably enjoyed even more without the vocals that make it sound dated in comparison to the rest of the music on the album. While the 13 minute Balladen Om Björnbär Och Nätmelon is one of the band's completely original compositions that has become a huge fan favorite over the years. The track starts off with a long buildup that halfway through the performances transforms into a upbeat section most notable for Kenny Håkansson's guitar work and the congas drum sound from Bah Hassan. The performance is then followed up by unexpected Spanish-flavored Mariamá that serves as a completely unexpected, but highly welcomed, surprise conclusion to the album.

Kebnekaise III is easily my favorite album of this classic Swedish band that have recently reunited for a few live performances around the country that have even resulted in a new studio album. As for this 1975 release I highly recommend it to fans of traditional folk music with rock arrangements. For everyone else this is definitely an excellent addition to the prog rock music collection.

***** star songs: Leksands Brudmarsch (4:29) Polska Från Härjedalen (3:09)

**** star songs: Eklundapolskan (4:19) S:t John (3:51) Skänklåt Till Spelman (3:07) Polska Från Bingsjö (3:19) Balladen Om Björnbär Och Nätmelon (13:01) Mariamá (3:14)

The band fused together some nice folk melodies with rock arrangements and the result is this 5-piece album where the individual track lengths vary from 5 minutes up to the 16 minute final composition. The prominent guitar melodies by Kenny Håkansson dominate the material and make for a very accessible music. Notice that the first four tracks have the word "låt" (song) in them which almost makes it seem like this is a contemporary album that tries to arrange the different folk music styles. Still considering the range of different "songs" the overall mood of this instrumental record is pretty consistent all throughout.

Comanche Spring is the only composition out of the lot that come off a bit daring towards its middle section but generally the style of this release is very much the same, featuring soft guitar driven melodic folk rock. Horgalåten might be considered somewhat darker in its tone compared to the rest of the material due to the compositions slow buildup and the very bouncy guitar sections but I personally never considered anything off this album to go outside of the comfort zone of the listener.

This self-titled album from Kebnekajse plays almost like a Pat Metheny album but instead of jazz the music features distinct folk undertones. Overall though, the styles are very much the same. It's pleasant guitar driven rock music at its finest but don't expect to be challenged in any way by what you will hear on this record.

**** star songs: Rättvikarnas Gånglåt (5:07) Horgalåten (6:18) Skänklåt Från Rättvik (8:31) Barkbrödlåten (4:36) Comanche Spring (16:01)

The music on the debut album Resa Mot Okänt Mål (Trip To An Unknown Destination) is a very joyous trip through the outskirts of the Swedish music scene of the time. There might not be any direct stabs at the Swedish Progg movement of the late '60s but the spirit is definitely there on tracks like Tänk På Livet and Kommunisera! that both try to engage the audience in a discussion of some very difficult topics. This trend isn't incorporated throughout the entire album since Jag Älskar Sommaren and the album title-track try to be generally joyous compositions where the former mainly consists of a long jam with the lyrics about singing and dancing repeated all throughout its almost 11 minute running time.

I guess that I'm not really the target audience for this type of material but, even thought, there are a few instances where the band manages to create some really nice prog rock moments. The instrumental tracks like Frestelser I Stan and Förberedelser Till Fest show that Kebnekajse could write some excellent music. Unfortunately these moments are few and far in between which is why I can't award this debut release anything more than a very shaky good, but non-essential album rating.

***** star songs: Frestelser I Stan (4:48)

**** star songs: Orientens Express (2:07) Resa Mot Okänt Mål (7:15) Förberedelser Till Fest (3:37)

*** star songs: Tänk På Livet (5:00) Jag Älskar Sommaren (10:50) Kommunisera! (5:15)

Still, there's something amiss, and I'm not talking about the extended psychedelic tracks present on the classic albums. Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's the modern production, but I feel that the atmosphere and mystery achieved on melodies like "Horgalåten" and "Skänklåt från Rättvik" are gone here.

Perhaps a romanticized memory but I remember the feeling I got when listening to their second album while reading about Swedish folklore. I got a hint of that when listening to this new release while driving through Dalarna, the province of Sweden most associated with traditional Swedish culture. Most tracks KEBNEKAJSE choose to interpret (many are traditional songs, a few their own compositions) basically translates to 'melody from village/town in Dalarna or Hälsingland'. (another Swedish province rich in traditional Folk music)

Best tracks are "Leksands skänklåt" and "Brudmarsch till Per & Anna". The rest aren´t bad but, let's say, less memorable than those two.

"Tank Pa Livet" has this bombastic intro as vocals join in. This is catchy. The guitar is prominant before 3 minutes as the vocals take a breather. "Frestelser I Stan" is an instrumental that opens with drums crashing the scene,guitar follows. "Orientens Express" is another instrumental that has a bit of a Country flavour to it. Not a fan of this one. "Resa Mot Okant Mal" is a rocker with vocals, although the vocals are few. "Jag Alskar Sommaren" might be my favourite. I like the bass and the song is fairly aggressive. Some vocals but not a lot. This sounds really good. "Forberedelser Till Fest" is another good one, lots of energy. "Kommunisera!" has vocals and harmonies.The guitar grinds away after a minute.

Good album, but not worth 4 stars in my books.

My favorite song from this album is probably the longest song on the album, "Polska från Alfta". It gives a hint of their on-stage improvisation with violin and guitar solos while keeping a fantastic steady, grooving and highly danceable 3/4 beat. "Polska" is by the way a traditional folk-dance in 3/4. The most fun song on this album is "Vallåt", which is actually a rock-version of the song you traditionally sing while calling on the cows!

For those of you who don't understand swedish, i can tell you that the songs titles arn't very special or intersesting. "Brudmarsch" means "Bride march", and is a song played at weddings, most of the time on violin. "Skänklåt" means a song that is dedicated to someone. "Polska" as i said, is a traditional folk dance, and Leksand, Alfta & Enviken are towns or villages is sweden. So the song titles basically translates to "Polska from some village", "Song dedicated to someone" and such.

If you enjoyed their second and third album, you would have to be pretty stupid not to enjoy this one aswell! For me it's an obvious 5-star album. A fantastic return-to-form from one of swedens best bands!