TR-OND AND THE SUBURBAN SAVAGES

Shall I compare thee to a Panzerpappa album? Less intense and complex, but as refreshing and amusing.

Trond Gjellum has assembled some savages around him to make some music not within the Panzerpappa confinements. You can see in their Myspace page who's he playing with.

The opening of the first track, The Madonna Death Cult Camp, gives me an impression of a 70's movie, somewhat like a fast driving car scene on an abandoned road along a beach. The tune is playful, amusing, semi-gloomy but with a strong sense of vitality and joy at the same time. That is a feature prevalent in Panzerpappa's music as well and it is very well done here as well. In essence the touch of Trond is very well felt here, obviously, and one can appreciate how large a part he has in giving Panzerpappa their particular sound, as it permeates here as well. This particular finger print, the mix of seriousness, tension and joviality is by now his trademark I'd say. It is such a great experience to follow the track develop and unfold before your ears, the melody painted in different moods and the main theme being played with. That is the magic of this album (as is the magic in Panzerpappa's albums). The other main attractor is the strength of the melodies, their playfulness and beauty. With these two elements - exploration and melody - I get what is needed from an album.

However, not all tracks are in the same level for me. There are some lighter tunes, like For E with its programming which to me doesn't add much to the album (though it's not a bad tune, just not a strong one as well, therefore, for me not much is gained from its inclusion in the album). Another track like Andre Malist has a more straight approach, almost "pop-y" but as the track goes on, I find it to improve.

But when a song like Mother Of Time starts (with its odd and funny lyrics), all is forgotten as we are rolled into the rollercoaster again. The rhythmic nature of the music is such that it grabs me, gets my full attention and carries me away, which is what good music does. The last track, Not Necessarily A Miracle is a good example of that. There I hear a well-balanced mix of propulsive rhythm, beautiful melody and a special atmosphere.

I'll say one more thing about the music that they make; it makes me wish I had become a musician and not settle for learning a few years to play keyboards. Making music like this is fun to compose and to play. Listening to the album, I think it is safe to say they had fun playing/recording it.

Not a masterpiece or essential, but creative, original, highly enjoyable and well played.

Recommended listening!

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