PRICE:
$17.00
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Idioten
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
SUBL 080CD SUBL 080CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
3/15/2011

Kebnekajse takes folk rock to new heights on Idioten. Forty years after their debut, the Swedish '70s folk rock pioneers have gathered no moss. A short biography for new listeners: During the 1970s, Kebnekajse was known as Sweden's highest band, pioneering and leading the Swedish instrumental psych/progressive groups. They electrified folk music and made six albums from their inception in 1971 to 1978, after which they split up. Kebnekajse reunited during the summer of 2001 and in the early spring of 2009, they released their critically-acclaimed comeback album Kebnekajse (SUBL 026CD/LP), filled with pure Swedish folk songs. Two years later, and proven by countless tours, they now present what is perhaps their strongest recording ever. On this album, Kebnekajse widens views and lets the folk music tone find new forms, free from any tightly-held reins. As the band themselves explain: "We wanted to give the folk music new feet. From the vast canon of ancient Swedish folk songs we wanted to highlight songs that stand out, rare songs that leave room for improvisation and debauchery in the spirit of the psychedelic '70s." With these resolutions, the band got into the studio (the same one used for recording Dungen) for three sessions of four days each, from May to September. The result was 10 new tracks. This is unlimited music where intricate melodies and distinctive rhythms take unexpected turns -- electrical and eclectic while unified in a dynamic drive. Kebnekajse have deepened their interplay in their last years of touring. On the initial track "Barfota" (trans. "Barefoot") the electric guitar and violin weaves melody over pulsating drums, percussion and double basses -- heavy and soft at the same time. "Fäbodpslam" (trans. "Mountain Shack Psalm") breathes beautiful melancholy before the great polska "From-Olle" (trans. "Pious-Olle") whips up a furious pace. "Hans & Greta" is tight like a music box in its melody interplay while "Senpolska" (trans. "Late Polska") from Hälsingland becomes a drawn-out, distorted drone piece ("like a grunt from the deepest of halls of the mountain king"). The musicians also break up the action with jam trips and let loose the love of their musical roots. The title track "Idioten" (trans. "The Fool") madly mixes a Hälsingland polska with hard progressive rock. "Stockholmpolka" has a snorting, country feel mixed with dream-like Afro-funk psych and an Alpine feel. The closing Norwegian "walking tune" "Sangenuten" (trans. "The Song Without") is connected with a long tail of psychedelia. With Idioten, Kebnekajse lifts Swedish folk rock to new heights and new psychedelic overtones.