KLOSSA KNAPITATET

Klossa Knapitatet catches Samla in a transitional mode, moving away from the strongly Canterbury-influenced style of their first two albums to an altogether stranger and less accessible mixture of influences. The ghost of their prior Canterbury and Zappa-influenced style does occasionally rear its head - in particular, there are some vocal experiments reminiscent of the Burnt Weeny Sandwich/Weasels Ripped My Flesh era of the original Mothers of Invention - but the folk influence is dialed up, a broader palette of jazz is on offer than Zappa-inspired fusion, and at points the pounding of the rhythm section reaches Zeuhlish levels of intensity.

The mixture is certainly unique and marks a drastic evolution in the band's sound, so RIO fans in general will want to hear this one sooner or later, but at the same time I find that the band struggle to keep their new direction interesting over the course of the album. It's good, but it's not the first Samla album I'd recommend to someone new to the group, because it's simultaneously more challenging than their early work but hasn't yet reached the same sharp, experimental edge that would be evident on their Zamla Mammaz Manna and Von Zamla efforts.