KEY FIGURES

ENSEMBLE NIMBUS "Key Figures" are the third release from the excellent Swedish Ad Perpetuam Memoriam label (APM). They are mixing 70's influenced Zeuhl and RIO and obviously there's reminiscences to SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA, UNIVERS ZERO and VON ZAMLA. The interesting line-up includes among others Håkan Almkvist who's responsible for the compositions and the SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA drummer Hasse Bruniusson on Electric Batterie. APM is responsible for many interesting releases and this isn't an exception. Recommended!

Ensemble Nimbus's debut album is certainly a small tour de force with its mostly instrumental (only two of the 11 tracks are sung) avant/prog displaying a lot of modern classics and acoustic jazz and eastern influences.

The music on this album is very festive and upbeat, with plenty of Gypsy influence - greatly induced via the acoustic instruments, the violin and clarinet - comparing with Finnish Uzva band or even some of the easier Samla/Von Zamla records. Although they can also be compared somewhat to their other countrymen Into The Labyrinth, Ensemble Nimbus is less influenced by world music. The two tracks that have signing are correct, with guitarist/bassist Almkvist's voice being somewhat a bit rasp, even if E S understand it is not their forte. But Almkvist shines as a good bassist and can rip your brains with his deadly guitar lines. Also in the same style of music, Miriodor is not far away, but the Montrealers are more energetic and change rythms more rapidly. Most of the album flies by fairly quickly with all tracks being relatively even in quality and none standing out, until the final track raises your eyebrow: a slow developing 8min+ track which clearly delves into adventurous developments that announces what their next album will be.

Although this album should not be recommended to every progheads (the electric drums are slightly deranging), there are many facets to this album that make it endearing. Greger speaks much better about this band than I do.