TIO BITAR

Here is something you don't hear too often these days, a proggish Swedish band singing in their mother tongue. Another thing not often heard is a band successfully exploring a long bygone era to the point where it transscends homage into the impression of a group of performers frozen for forty years and then finally thawed and ready to rock out while being blown away by cool gadgets like cellphones. The way Dungen achieves this level of integrity is through multiple elements, not just through songwriting and the usage of vintage sounds, but also in the overall production, possessing a garage-like quality that screams late 1968-1969. It also should be noted that these songs are catchy and memorable as well.

The album opens with Reine Fiske unleashing a torrent of LSD-drenched guitar heroics in an intro that's as ballsy as it is psychedelic. The band not only shows off its chops early, but also its diversity, as melodic flute passages creep into the mix, and the followup track, Familj, is a gorgeous slice of folkish trippy pop. The album proceeds to mix things up from track to track without sacrificing any signature sound, the vocals definately evoke a melodic tone similar to the Marty Balin with a bit of Jerry Garcia sort of vibe, and the drums are busy with lots of cymbal crashes and a production that gives the playing a live one-track feel. The album itself isn't recorded in mono, but it feels that way at times, which is not a bad thing in this case.

There's some extended jamming here and there, but not too often, as this album feels a bit more song-oriented as opposed to their previous album, which felt more like a journey, but less structured. The band is quite talented, and can pull off jamming or pumping out melodic tight compositions with ease, and I find this album to be possibly their strongest effort. There's been some comparing this group to the current alternative rock scene, but I find this album distances itself from that genre by fully embracing not just the sounds of the late 60s, but the overall groove. If that doesn't make much sense to you, then just take the bong and enjoy the heavy bass that kicks in after a minute & a half or so during Så blev det bestämt and you'll understand.