MÅLTID

'Maltid', Samla Mammas Manna's second studio album, is the ultimate culmination of the band's great sense of humor, avant-garde properties, and just overall musicianship. The best way I can describe this record is rock in opposition in opposition. Other bands in the RIO category tend to take themselves seriously: The Cardiac, The Residents, etc. But SMM maintains the technicality of those bands whilst still incorporating humor and fun into all of their songs. These tracks are all light-hearted, even goofy at times. Even the two mini-suites on this album find their way through wacky grooves, calling back to early Frank Zappa. And the first of these mini-suites is the first song on this album, 'Dundrets Frojder'. Fast-paced, groovy, and not afraid of the pure absurd, this song goes full-circle: a melody plays at the beginning, goes through a long improvisational section, then refrains to the original melody. This song makes a switch to the jarring vocals of 'Oforutsedd Forlossning'. Most likely a drunk man screeching in Swedish. Bound to make one laugh uncontrollably, as it did me. There's a long and insanely groovy piano section and the song ends. 'Den Aterupplivade Laten' is a jazzy mood, starting with an Ornette Coleman jam session deal, then entering a slowly-building guitar and bass-led groove that concludes the song. 'Folkvisa I Morse' is a classic jam-band style song, combining acoustic and electric instruments. In the background are noises of someone grunting whilst opening a package of some sort. 'Syster System' is a certifiably weirdo jam that ends with some chanting. As all of the songs on this album, fun and groovy. 'Tarningen' is electric guitar-led, and high-octane as it gets. Sounds like ELP at times. 'Svackorpoangen' is the most vocal-led song on the album, with pub chanting going almost throughout the song. To me, it's the only song on this album with at least okay vocals. But the music is so good, you forget all about it. 'Minareten', the second mini-suite, clocking in at around eight minutes, is arguably the most diverse track on the album. At the beginning, it sounds pretty normal: just like your average whimsical psych rock, like Kaleidoscope or something of the sort. Then, It gets into a Can-esque groove and it's all crazy from there. You got cowbell, Yoko Ono-like vocalizations, funky bass, and so much more all falling into place, it's enough to make you jitter. But it makes me want to dance. The track is too complex for me to describe anymore, but trust me: you'll like it. The ninth and final track, 'Vaerelseds Tilbud' wonderfully and very SMM-ly closes this record. Lilting electric guitar that joins hands with piano, and closes the album in a beautiful fashion. This is an extremely eclectic record. You can make out anything from Can to Magma to Beefheart, and all in record time! This studio effort by Samla Mammas Manna is not one to overlook, no matter how underground it is. Believe me when I say that it's worth the spin! Prog on!

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