MÅLTID

As my stockpile of music has kept expanding, it's been harder for music new to me to bowl me over. Pretty much that amounts to what it takes for me to hand out a masterpiece rating to some album now; it has to really blow me away or catch me off guard in a positive way, and that's exactly what MALTID did.

It's hard to really describe the overall sound on this album, but to call this ''serious music'' would be a big mistake. There's hardly a moment where SMM doesn't sound like they're having fun, even if pieces like ''Dundets Frojder'' and ''Tarningen'' sound like works of art. The vocals are the key component in their humour; very chirpy, high-pitched and annoying, they only add to the enjoyment, particularly on ''Sister System''.

The two longer songs are more likely to attract the typical proghead, and rightfully so as both are the best on the album. The two are loaded with precise lead guitar work, effective electric piano bits, crazy percussion and the occasional divergence into carnival music. The music is very likely to shift directions in both pieces, but themes are developed well enough to the point where any transition is natural. Hasse Bruniusson's percussion work is also of note because of the odd-sounding blocks used and his fluidity of using the kit as its own independent instrument.

However, there are plenty of joys in the shorter songs. ''Sister System'' and ''Svackorpoangen'' sound like they could be played in ballrooms to get the patrons to start dancing, but the vocals on top are pure hilarity. Songs like ''Folkvisa I Morse'' and the last one are nice quiet little things that don't demand too much from the listener. All of the songs are very melodic, so those that hate avant-garde stuff don't have to worry too much. MALTID has stuff that all sorts of progsters would like, so if you're looking to test out the RIO/Avant subgenre, try this one out. It's at least an interesting experience.

For bonus laughs, there's a bonus extension to ''Minareten'' called ''Minareten II'', and if you're not ready, the screams will scare the pants off you.