DETTA HAR HÄNT

A good album of interesting, creative, and subtlely complex songs. A lot of variety here, too. What lacks is melody and sometimes 'meaningful development'--meaning that the songs don't always unfold in pleasing or 'sensible' ways.

1. Kontrast (7/10) is a slow developing, very symphonically constructed--but almost in a Minimalist way--song. I love the 'live in the studio' feeling of the recording. The song is a bit too repetitive for my tastes--despite the BUCK DHARMA (BÖC) guitar solo toward the end.

2. Sorterargatan 3 (9/10) is my favorite song on the album. It opens with a 'computer/keyboard' with bowed bass carring over from the previous song. Eventually a bluesy picked electric guitar takes over and, a little later, a tandem piano. At 2:00 there is a shift in instrumentation and feel. This shift is fully transitioned by 2:55 with driving bass and drums and very melodic harmonized guitar and keyboard arpeggios. At 3:40 guitar and then electric piano go briefly Fripp "Discipline" on us. Return to previous section of gtr & key arpeggios and then some classic rock syncopated guitar strumming. At 5:32 there is a haunting, whirling synth chord held in the background for over a minute as the song develops and morphs over the tp. At 6:45 some spacey effects accompany the plucking of a distorted guitar. Drums show off a bit within a military pattern. At 8:20 the guitars and keyboards simplify and repeat as mellotron and bass--and then 'recorder'-sounding synth-- melody takes lead to bare-bones end.

3. Svenska Hjärtan (8/10) begins with rather stereotypic Russian-sounding chord progressin played on an old upright 'Old West' player piano before a distored eledtiric guitar joins. Symphonic percussion effects also join in. An eery 'alien'-sounding synth takes over to the end.

4. Fem Trappor (7/10) begins with spacey-industrial synth play over cymbol work until 1:15 when bass joins in and together with the drums establish the beat. Guitars join in. At 2:57 enters main theme from the guitars. By 3:25 there is a melody shift with a "toy keyboard" playing. At 4:03 the main theme returns in a 'scratchier' form. 4:27 shifts to whole new rhythm and feel--old Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett era comes to mind.

5. Nattkift (8/10) starts with an electric piano intro (sounds very late-70s AMBROSIA-like). At 1:08 bass chords and slow electric piano arpeggios are quickly joined by fast arpeggios from a distorted electric guitar. Then shifts to some very bluesy guitar work--very dissonant-- almost like Allan HOLDSWORTH playing ROY BUCHANAN's guitar. At 3:19 a shift into an uptempo very standard blues-rock chord progression which is soon joined by guitar and ulilean pipes mirroring the solo. At 4:22 the song backs down to a bare bones electric piano arpeggios (They never left! Were just beneath all the other sound!) and then fade.

6. Berslagen (8/10) begins with another dissonant blues guitar start (FRIPP Red Era). At 0:38 the main theme is introduced playing through three different key changes. At 1:58 the picked acoutic guitar holds the melody. At 2:48 a bizarre guitar solo begins--very KING CRIMSON-like though Crimson never played quite like this. At 3:50 all instruments exit except electric keyboard playing before a quick shift to "toy" piano arpeggios. At 4:55 it is joined by bass clef electric piano chords. 5:25 seees FRIPP-ish sustained guitar solo beginning over the top of the keyboard work. At 6:05 begins the true toy piano solo/arpeggia--both hands over tremolo picked e-string note of the guitar. Enter a harmonium or accordion. At 7:55 drums reintroduce the dissonant "discipline" and now BELEW solo. At 8:48 there is a return to the harmonized melodic groove. Part STEVE HILLAGE, part MIE OLDFIELD. Interesting song. 7. Innilegur? (7/10) has Middle Eastern sounding acoustic "guitar" intro. (Perhaps a very old, dilapidated guitar?) At 1:35 it develops into more Western melodic picking. At 2:03 a synth and other guitar (bowed?) join in. A brief song. 8. Västarbron 05:30 (9/10) is my second favorite song from this album. It begins with a DOORS-y intro, bluesy bass/chord progression. At 1:20 the main melody is established on electric piano. At 2:25 a secondary melody enters, now accompanied by strummed acoustic guitar chord progression. Very NEIL YOUNG/CSN&Y-like. Guitar solo. At 4:20 the guitar and song sound more ALVIN LEE like with aggressive blues rock. Perhaps even BUDDY GUY. guitar fades to background as organ and electric piano foundation return to forefront. Strings join in, but listen to that guitar shredding away far in the back left! A bit of a "Strawberry Fields Forever" feel to the swirling chaos and eeriness of the end--and that toy piano!

Still, highly recommended for the prog lover.