KEBNEKAISE

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.

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!

Contrary to MMM, Kebnekasje's hard rock is a sophisticated one that sometimes oogles in Zappa's direction, and not only because of the often funny vocals that were probably belting humorous lyrics, but the music was indeed complex as well, as the sublime 7-mins+ title track suggest.. Think of a proggier early Wishbone Ash and you'll have an idea of how good these guys could get. But things had started out with the almost Skynyrd-esque Tänk På Livet, a track filled with brutal riffs. Right on its tracks, Frestelser I Shan has no less heavy duty double guitar riffs that should help Sweden gat a Florida winter if the album is played often enough. The Oriento Express is starting out as a spoof, but it veers in a full musical delire complete with zappa vocals and outstanding interplay and a finish that almost sends Freebird back on the drawing table.

Nothing really shocking but only the lengthy (around 10 minutes) Sommaren track sticks out a bit, more acoustic, but this is hardly a problem since it rocks out just as fine Sounding like a worked up and progged-out surf music Forberedelser Till Fest is an impressive and amusing stab at musical satyr, a bit like a Zappa pastiche. It's too bad the album closes on the weakest track Kommunisera.

While a completely beast than further albums, this is by all means an excellent Swedish hard rock album with the typical Swedish and Zappa-esque humour that one finds in almost all of the early 70's Swede group, be they prog or prog. Completely different and not an ounce prog folk, but no less interesting.

The debut album from prog folk outfit Kebnekaise is a lot different than people would later know them for. Their works like Kebnekaise II and III stand as highlights of the prog folk genre, with amazing melodies, lush soundscapes and, at times, beautiful vocals. This album, on the other hand, is completely different. While shades of the later band certainly do shine through this one is a lot more rough, and a lot less relaxed. It seems that the band decided to start off their life as a hard hitting classic rock band with some folk influences. Many of the songs have vocals (compared to later, primarily instrumental work) and the melodies are not quite as refined. There's also a lot more quirk in this album than later in the band's career, meaning that if you have II and are looking for something similar, don't go here.

Still, the album is very good thanks to its own unique charms. The heavy, distorted guitar comes across as sort of a breath of fresh air to anyone who thinks that the band doesn't know how to rock, and the male vocals actually work well with the style. The opening Tänk På Livet features a fairly simple song structure and makes for a fairly catchy rock tune. The lyrics are all still in Swedish, meaning that single-lingual people (such as myself) will simply have to imagine what is being said instead of actually knowing. Still, the song opens the album with a bang and leads well into the second track. Fresteler I Stan is likely the biggest standout of the album. This is also, luckily, where the band would later decide to take their music. A wonderfully melodic instrumental with a great chorus makes for an excellent song, combining this album's hard rock sound with the band's later, more folk based work. Förberedelser Till Fest is the other instrumental on the album, and these days it almost sounds like crazy video game music. Still, its very quick playing is incredibly impressive, and the melody is once again a strong point.

The rest of the album is quite quirky and a bit more rock in flavor. Orientens Express is a short and fun instrumental that, compared to the others on the album, is really nothing special. Resa Mot Okänt Mål is completely bizarre - fast playing backed with odd vocals (a Swedish Alvin and The chipmunks, apparently) makes for a somewhat annoying tune that does eventually catch on, but will always stick out on the album like a sore thumb. The longest composition on the album is the 10-minute Jag Älskar Sommaren, and this is a pretty good one, relatively simple with some relatively needless vocals that fortunately don't get in the way of the quite good instrumental parts. Then it all finishes off with the uptempo Kommunisera, another good track in the style of the opening tune that makes for a satisfying end to the album.

All around a very good album. Not quite up to par with the music that the band would later play, and certainly in a much different style. Recommended for people who want to hear some Swedish hard rock with a heavy folk lean - but I would say hold your breath until you find their second and third albums. While this one certainly is satisfying, those ones are simply incredible. 3 stars out of 5! A good debut with much better on the horizon.

I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time explaining this record; suffice it to say that it is clearly for collectors-only, as casual fans of Kebnekaise and of progressive folk in general won’t likely find this to be what they likely expect from a seventies Swedish folk band. The syncopated percussion, hand drums, chanted and layered vocals, and heavy world/ethnic feel to the music are one more example of the experimental nature of this band, but are a bit outside the norm even for a Swedish prog folk band (and I say that knowing several Swedish-language folk bands who have adopted liberal use of world sounds and instruments in their music).

The first album from these guys was a fairly straight-ahead rock offering, while their second was a collection of Latin-adapted traditional folk standards, and the third in the vein of more well-known European folk music. This time they leave the musical continent completely, except for in a few places like “Bounsé na Bounsé” where some tasty violin accents the pulsating dance rhythms quite well; or on “Tigerdance/Wind” where some spacey sound effects and heavy guitar add a different dimension (more violin here as well). The most realistic-sounding tune is “Silifé”, and even here the music could be as easily mistaken from something from Cuba or the Dominican Republic as from Saharan Africa.

And the band doesn’t completely get away from their earlier rocking sound, as evidenced mostly in the closing track “Brudarnas Parti” with its heavy guitar, fat electric bass line, and sassy brass (saxophone). This is a tune that would be just as at-home on a dance floor as it is on the band’s record album.

But for the most part this sounds a bit like Osibisa tunes played by white men, which is to say the rhythms are interesting but the overall mood seems a tad bit measured. This is not authentic African music, and like Manfred Mann’s similar attempt it shows. Unlike Mann though, these guys gave things a decent and honest effort, and for that I’m going to say this is a three star record. But I will warn away fans of more staid and refined progressive music; this might not exactly be up your alley.

peace

Yes, Sweden, that wonderful country that has brought us so many excellent prog, rock and heavy metal bands at one point brought us this excellent group. Using everything that they had at their disposal, Kebnekaise, in their short career, managed to make some truly beautiful music. This album is an amazing showcase of how much talent and potential the band had. 5 rather long compositions (only one dips below 5 minutes) of instrumental wonder, ripe with a variety of well used instruments and a little bit of voicing without words that simply adds to the experience of the album.

In terms of what the album sounds like (for those unfamiliar) it's kind of tough to explain. The band uses folk melodies exclusively (as one could expect) through their guitars, rhythm sections and violins to create winding music that does not lose attention. There's nothing ambient about these compositions as they all seem to tell a tale simply through their ups and downs (in tone and tempo) as well as almost set verse and chorus despite not having any lyrics. The music is up beat and plays rather smoothly with only a few ''darker'' moments which are far and few between the very pleasant other songs.

For those of us who only speak English the songs titles are nonsensical (our penalty for not learning other languages I suppose) except for the final opus, the 16-minute Comanche Spring. As for the others such as Rättvikarnas gånglåt or Skänklåt från rättvik it's probably better that you just think to yourself, ''I liked song three a lot!''. That's okay though because for those of us who don't speak the language it adds just another element to the music, likely not dissimilar to those who listen to too much Magma. One thing that does suck if you're not savvy with Swedish is that you won't be able to read the story of the band (or the album, I don't know!) that's in the liner notes!

As for the previously mentioned Comanche Spring, this is a track to have your eye on. Likely attractive to the prog fan thanks to it's sheer length, but the playing and wonderfully driving rhythms and melodies of the song make for an excellent tour de force of folk music as the song just picks up faster and faster throughout the course of the song making it seem a lot shorter than it is (and that's a good thing!). Secondary melodies that act as a kind of bridge make the song all the more wonderful as they come in to press the track along.

Other tracks of note include the only song with vocals, Rättvikarnas gånglåt which has a very pleasant female voice serenade the song along without any lyrics and the excellent Barkbrödlåten with it's pseudo-dark melody that's just oh so pleasing to the ear.

All in all an amazing album. I hesitate to give this one a solid 5 because it's hard to recommend to everyone - a lot of people may simply not like the idea of Swedish folk songs. However, if the idea appeals to you at all this nine-piece band is sure to steal your heart. 4.5 stars! Highly recommended!

Kebnekaise is a Swedish prog-folk outfit featuring guitarist Kenny Hakansson. This album is their most oft-mentioned, a collection of Swedish folk as a starting point blended with a sort of hippie idealism and improvisation (mostly guitar). Besides guitar the album is driven largely by fiddle and percussion of the fireside variety.

"Rättvikarnas gånglåt" is the most overtly traditional sounding song to my American ears which are admittedly not too up on Swedish traditional folk. While this song seems to be dismissed by some it was my favorite part of the album. I really enjoyed the wordless vocals of Turid Lundquist as she sort of croons away to the repetitive, swaying melody of the violins and drumming. I guess it appeals to me because it is so different from music I hear on any regular basis. With "Horgalaten" the album shifts to its main focus which is a trippy counterculture bending of Swedish folk music. Slowly working the rhythm section to luke warm, the dual guitars of Kenny Hakansson and Ingemar Bocker begin to explore---the conversational tone of their playing is quite developed and impressive I must say, teamwork in action. They hear each other and they compliment each other rather than simply trading off with each other. "Skänklåt från rättvik" features very bright sounding lead guitar over a rhythmic, repetitive fusion of violin/bass/percussion that is the modus operandi of the album. In some ways the feel of these jams is not unlike the Grateful Dead carrying on for 15 minutes to "Fire on the Mountain." Nationality differences aside, you have able musicians thinking out loud on their instruments to percussion not unlike the Micky Hart variety. As with the Dead, occasionally the peaks can be exciting but sometimes things can get a bit static. "Barkbrödlåten" is more of the same, nice but nothing earth shattering. "Comanche Springs" has a rather tepid intro before breaking to a jog with some nice clean guitar leads over drumming and hand percussion. The congas begin to increase in intensity which drives the guitars to more frantic playing. The bass is a bit buried in the mix but the guitar and percussion are heard well. Soon we get some violin entering the fray and mixing with the lead guitar. After an extended congo solo section the violin comes in and the pulsing rhythmic sound achieved suddenly sounds like Alamaailman Vasarat for a bit. More sensitive and thoughtful lead guitar returns and continues to trade off with the violin to the tribal drumming.

A 14 minute live version of "Horgalaten" is featured as a bonus track on Silence Records SRSCD-3608 reissue. The sound isn't perfect of course but how nice to get such a rare document from this group. As you'd expect the guitar playing is even less inhibited (not that the studio version is!) The CD booklet features a nice history with photos although only in Swedish unfortunately. Kebnekaise is a good album though not terribly essential in my view. I think there are more exciting prog-folk entries out there. These guys are average musicians with some nice extended jams that will appeal to some and bore others. Check it out if you're interested in Swedish rock or long, mostly laid back jamming. I think their sound is just unique enough to have in your collection but I'm not sure how often you'd reach for it.

Kebnekajse takes a step back and looks at the classic swedish tradition of folk music in a completely different sense than other Swedish bands. They don't just let themselves be influenced by traditional folk songs, they take the whole thing as it is and then put their mark on it. Being swedish myself, i found it hard to grasp the concept of this album when i first heard it, since this kind of music is somehow very familiar to me and the melodies seemed just very natural and hard to identify as rock music, but eventually i got around that and discovered the traditional swedish folk melodies from a new point of view, and how beautiful they can be. As the opening track begins, you immediately picture lots of people dancing around on a swedish midsummer night, and if you don't, then the wordless vocals by Turid should get you into the right mood.

One thing that sticks out of this traditional swedish folkiness, however, is the fact that Kebnekajse II features both rock percussion and congas as well as prominent electric guitar by both Ingemar Böcker and Kenny Håkansson. Ingemar Böcker has a jazzier style of playing which compliments Kenny Håkanssons more straight-forward style of only playing the melodies and not much more.

This exotic blend of Swedish folk, dual percussion and twin guitar keeps up for the first four songs on the album. The melodies are very addictive and at times there are hints of something resembling a psychedelic vibe through all the folkiness.

Last song on the album is Commanche Spring. Cue major change in direction, towards the much more jazzier territory. No doubt a very good song, but it sticks out, both in style and length, being over 16 minutes long. The indroduction is slow and building and and after an extensive guitar workout there is a quieter passage with steay bass and some soloing by Hassan Bah on the congas until the guitar picks the song up again before leaving it to the violin to round it up.

Overall, Kebnekajse is a very smoothly flowing album, and even if the concept is nothing which will thrill the RIO/Avant-heads, the melodies in themselves are surely timelessly beautiful.

Four of the seven tracks have lyrics, of which the albums first track, Tänk på livet", is the best, except for the real highlight, the title track with vocals on helium voices. There's no bad track though, some are quite short while other are more stretched out. Because of that it may be a bit repetitive at the end since all the tunes are, sonically, similar.

It all comes packaged in a nice psychedelic sleeve.