GARMONBOZIA

ENSEMBLE NIMBUS third album, the second on the Record Heaven label, follows the same musical direction as we're used to hear with elements from Zeuhl and RIO. There are reminiscences to ART ZOYD, ETRON FOU, HENRY COW, SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA and UNIVERS ZERO. If ENSEMBLE NIMBUS weren't signed to the Record Heaven label, they would've been perfect for the Cuneiform label. The music on "Garmonbozia" is recorded, mixed, edited and mastered simultaneously as their previous album "Scapegoat". I think that "Scapegoat" and "Garmonbozio" were intended to be a double album in the beginning. The only disappointment is that the cover art is almost the same as on "Scapegoat". The painting on the last page in the CD-booklet for "Scapegoat" is exactly the same as the front cover of "Garmonbozia". You get the impression that it was quickly put together just before the release. Strange, because to me Record Heaven is known for high quality. But I guess there's an explanation, perhaps it's because of the two albums musical resemblance to each other. The album is all-instrumental, and the highlights are the 12 minute opening track "Three Stories From The Blue Cage", "Ducks In Paradise", the chaotic "Turmoil" and "The Arrow Of Time" where Hasse Bruniusson, known from SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA and The FLOWER KINGS, has the chance to show his talents. I think that Hasse has to be one of Sweden's top drummers today within the progressive genre. Overall this album is more complex than both their previous albums and I guess that's why it has become my favourite ENSEMBLE NIMBUS album so far. Highly recommended!

4.5 star actually.

Different from typical swedish progressive music, Ensemble Nimbus hasn't symphonic elements or uses keyboards structure or even sounds like instrumental genesis. Contrariwise, it sounds avant, merging fusion, psychedelia and experimental rock.

Funny songs are found such as "Ducks in Paradise", "The Arrow of Time" and "Spacegoat" (this one is kind diabolical).

The band almost doesn't use vocal but there are lyrics on "Tornado Hunting" and all the uses of vocal are experimental, unusuals.

The best ideas of the band is to use the line clarinet-violin to play jazzy and erudi themes and use electric guitar only on solo or arpeggio.

A non-materpiece but that worths a lot!