DET SKANDALØSE ORKESTER

So I was happily streaming my favourite radio show one week, 'The Viking in the Wilderness', when a track really caught my attention as it was quite unlike anything else I have been playing recently. This led to me swapping some notes with Olav Bjørnsen, whose show it was, which has resulted in me now having the second album by this Norwegian band to listen to. There appear to be ten members in the band, and more than that in terms of guests, and even though I have no idea what they are singing about it is obvious that humour is at the centre of everything they do. That this is a progressive rock album is never really in doubt, but after that it all gets a bit more complicated. Frank Zappa, now that's a safe plac to start. Yes, they are definitely influenced by Zappa. Um, and classic Fifties musicals, and Can, mustn't forget Can. Oh, Art Zoyd, yes that it definitely there, and British humour, and kitchen sink, Yep, the kitchen sink. It is all in here, and not understanding the language somehow makes it even better!

When they want to incorporate strings, then they can be as delicate as any classical performance you will ever enjoy, but they spring off at weird tangents that would make Beefheart proud. Some sections of songs sound like nothing else on the album, while just when one thinks that everything is starting to make sense they can turn on Seventies disco funk! What on earth is going on here? These guys must be incredible live, and apparently they have been performing since 2011 and if it is anything like this album then it must be sheer chaos and incredibly tight and powerful all at the same time. For fans of Zappa, and music which is quite definitely "out there", this is a delight.

Norwegian band DET SKANDALØSE ORKESTER was formed back in 2011, and have been an active live unit for some years by now, among other things being central an arranging an arrangement known as Scandal Festivale a few years in a row. "No Har De Laget Skandale Igjen!" is their debut album, and was released through Norwegian label Goodbye Records in the summer of 2014.

Det Skanadløse Orkester is a band that cites a lot of rather different sources of influence and inspiration, where humour is as central as the likes of Frank Zappa, and while both Yes and Pink Floyd are cited among those influential details this is a band that appears to be more inspired by the spirit and approach to the stated artists rather than their musical legacy as such.

Just where to pigeonhole this band in a musical context is a challenge in itself I guess. There is a lot of 70's jazzrock tendencies going on here, with liberal use of the marimba, a suitably brittle sounding electric piano is given a good run throughout as well, as are subtly funk tinged guitar details and flowing guitar solo runs jazzrock style. Brass bursts, mournful saxophone details and, unless I'm much mistaken, clarinet, also adds a jazz-tinged and at times brass rock tinged flavor to the landscapes explored, and even when the good, old organ appears it doesn't deviate overly much from a jazz-oriented general sound. There's also a fair bit of psychedelic details thrown into the mix, the borders between jazzrock and psychedelic rock are much more fluent than what you'd expect actually, and those fond of psychedelic oriented instrument details will uncover a few treats as well. There's even what sounds like a brief kazoo solo thrown into the mix here, not the most common details to be found on an album made in 2014.

But the spirit and approach to the material makes me think of something completely different in terms of actual style here. The band focus on telling stories, more often than not with a liberal amount of wry satire as key parts of the messages they desire to forward, and this is emphasized by numerous instances of what can only be described as humorous instrument and vocal details. For me at least, this ends up in a conclusion that this is cabaret music at heart. Music made to convey a message that makes you laugh initially, and then reflect, decoding the initial fun lines into the rather scathing critic of society that most quality comedy has as it's central foundation. And at least in Norway, we have a long standing tradition for local cabaret's set to music to do just that. Det Skandaløse Orkester fits right into that tradition, albeit on a musical foundation much more profound and sophisticated than what you'll fin in just about any cabaret show. If there is such a genre as progressive rock cabaret, this is a band that should be regarded as central in such a movement.

The main drawbacks of this album is that the lyrical aspect of it will have a hard time to be comprehended outside of Norway, or even outside of their home town Bergen. Some references are extremely local, other are limited to only be truly comprehensive for those who have been following national Norwegian news for the last few years: En Prest og en Plage (A Priest and a Pain) a good example of the latter, Hull i Buksen (Hole in the Pants) of the former.

The end result is an album of fun-filled, vibrant and expressive music that exists within the triangle of jazzrock, psychedelic rock and cabaret music somewhere, a fun experience even if you can't follow the Norwegian lyrics, but all the more rewarding if you can, and then especially if you also keep track of local news from the town of Bergen.