MELLOM OSS

Kerrs Pink was one of the leading bands of the Norwegian folk-rock movement during the early 80's, their style has often been compared to the mellow and gentle style of Camel along with traditional folk influences and they have a very comforting and melodic style to their songs. "Mellom Oss" is their second release and shows us this very well. The musicianship is steady and songwriting is solid throughout, with a special mention to guitarist Harald Lytomt's clearly Andy Latimer influenced playing. This album shows a few weaker signs in some of the shorter songs, like "Trøstevise" which is rather forgettable, but the wonderful 17 minute closing epic, "Mens Tiden Forgår", makes up for most of it and stands as the best piece on the album as well as being an essential listening to any prog fan. Another highlight is the wonderful instrumental "Østenfor Ord" which combines Progressive Rock with Folk wonderfully and is a standout of the shorter songs. The other material is fairly good and in the same style. A couple of songs have lyrics which are in Norwegian, but that could work as a charming element for non-Norwegian listeners.

The CD version of this album is in a fact a re-recorded one, although very faithful to the original version. The reason for this are that the original album was recorded on a 4-track recorder which (obviously) coulnd't offer a sound quality good enough to be appreaciated. I must say I haven't heard the original version yet, but the sound quality here is really good and you can hear all instuments clearly throughout. In addition to that, you get six bonus tracks which are a treat for fans especially although the album material is more interesting, in my opinion. Although not a perfect album, this is a fine listen if you like bands in the style of Camel or Kebnekaise.

Highlights include "Østenfor Ord" and "Mens Tiden Forgår". The latter one being the best track here and one of Norwegian prog's finest moments. A very good and promising album, worth checking out if you like lighter prog-rock with folk influences, although it might be difficult to find these days it's worth it if you dig stuff like this. 4/5.