VEMOD

As Anekdoten started life as a band playing King Crimson covers it's hardly surprising that when they got round to writing their own songs they came across as sounding very much in the vein of Crimson. They belong to a group of prog bands to emerge from Sweeden in the early nineties including the likes of Anglagard, unlike whom are still active today.

Vemod whilst not their best is nevertheless a stunning debut by anyone's standards. Their songs combine a melancholic beauty largely down to Anna Sofi Dahlberg's use of Mellotron and occasional cello, with bombastic Robert Fripp inspired guitar riffs courtesy of Nicklas Berg. Jan Erik Liljeström's bass often takes a front seat with an incredibly powerful, pummelling sound who along with excellent and sympathetic to whats required drummer Peter Nordins make up a brilliant rhythm section.

The King Crimson influences largely come from mid seventies period, say between Larks Tongues In Aspic and Red but earlier Crimson influences can also be heard, for example on the likes of the more reflective Thoughts In Absence. All this talk of Crimson influences gives the impression that Anekdoten don't have an original idea in their heads but they give their sound an inventive and contempory edge and Berg's vocals have a haunting melancholic quality in no way reminiscent of Greg Lake and John Wetton.

On an album of such consistent quality it's churlish to single out individual tracks for praise and such are its strengths, Vemod is an album I never tire of listening to from start to finish.