KEBNEKAISE II

Buying albums from this band is a bit like playing bingo. You don't know what you get. Hence, you have to investigate each and individual album in ProgArchives before you buy a Kebnekaise album.

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