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Guldbamsen 
Special Collaborator 
Retired Admin Joined: January 22 2009 Location: Magic Theatre Status: Offline Points: 23104 |
 Posted: August 22 2011 at 08:48 |
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Not to forget the gentle sounds of Roxette and Ace of Base - which tend to be overused in modern symphonic bands.
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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- Douglas Adams |
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awaken77
Forum Senior Member 
Joined: December 25 2008 Status: Offline Points: 374 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 09:48 |
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yes they have similarities with Anglagard/Anekdoten/Sinkadus type of "dark folk-prog sound" (though they are Norvegian ) |
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thehallway
Prog Reviewer 
Joined: April 13 2010 Location: Dorset, England Status: Offline Points: 1433 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 10:07 |
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Roxette were Swedish? Well, you learn something every day! |
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29485 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 12:36 |
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Par Lindh was responsible for forming the Swedish Art Rock Society around about 1991 which included Roine Stolte as well as members of Anekdoten and Anglagard. This may of helped to create a conformity of approach or ideas perhaps? Read more: From the article: 1991 to 1994
At the dawn of the new wave of Swedish progressive rock The Swedish Art Rock Society was founded in 1991 with Pär Lindh as chairman. This movement helped to launch the Swedish progressive rock wonder of the nineties with bands like Änglagård, Galleon, Anekdoten, The Flower Kings, and of course The Pär Lindh Project (PLP). At the first Festival arranged by the society in autumn 1991 Pär gave a speach as well as a performance. All the three major progressive bands at the time from Sweden showed up Anekdoten, Änglagård and Landberk. Some of them came to perform others just to attend the event. This Art-rock festival became somewhat of a startingpoint for a new wave of exiting music emerging from this scandinavian country. Pär was determined to once again take up the banner of progressive rock." I listened back to some old recordings with ELP, YES, Genesis, King Crimson and other progressive bands from that era and just realised how very good this music was.". So Pär dusted off his old B3 Hammond organ which had been standing unused in the cellar of his parents house and started to look for a band. He found the group Manticore in a nearby town and played with them for a couple of years before moving on to build his own studio-complex for the recording of his musical compositions. The first record to emerge from the Crimsonic Label is Pär Lindh´s innovative album "Gothic Impressions" which has influences from renaissence music, early baroque, Bach, postromanticism, aventgarde, impressionism and from the symphonic rock bands of the early seventies. The result is a unique new kind of music. On this CD you will find some of Swedens finest artrock musicians which ensures a very high performing quality |
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Icarium
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: March 21 2008 Location: Tigerstaden Status: Offline Points: 34083 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 12:52 |
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most on Britney Speats first two albums are written and produced in Stockholm Sweden (Hit Me Baby One More TIme are writen by a swede, Max Martin a ex heavy metaler), he also wrote most of Backstreet Boys albums and NSynch so you can say that some early Boybands had the swedish sound as well as Britney Spears.
Edited by aginor - August 22 2011 at 12:52 |
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Icarium
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: March 21 2008 Location: Tigerstaden Status: Offline Points: 34083 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 12:54 |
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toroddfuglesteg
Forum Senior Member
Retired Joined: March 04 2008 Location: Retirement Home Status: Offline Points: 3658 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 13:41 |
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Because I am the only sober contributor here......... schnell !!!.............. Let me get this thread back to topic again. The Swedish prog feel was originally mentioned in the context of the Ingmar Bergman movies. You know, all these dark movies where the devil plays chess with your soul. And that is the most frivolous light hearted of his movies. The rest of his movies, the darker ones, is about depression, repression, darkness and..... did I mention depression ? This was later called "the Swedish depression" and bands like Anekdoten and Anglagard was very influenced by it. Most Swedish bands was, in fact. ABBA was viciously attacked by the Swedish press because they were not depressive. I kid you not ! The depression spread like a wildfire to Norway and we all became suicidal. It also indirectly spawned the black metal movement. So blame everything on Ingmar Bergman. Him and these dark forests which covers Sweden. (actually; I am not sober......) Edited by toroddfuglesteg - August 22 2011 at 13:46 |
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Icarium
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: March 21 2008 Location: Tigerstaden Status: Offline Points: 34083 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 13:46 |
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not the dance bands
 they are also pertty dark chapter in scandinavian conteporary history also
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refugee
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: November 20 2006 Location: Greece Status: Offline Points: 7026 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 14:55 |
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Your last remark (in brackets) was superfluous. Cheers! |
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He say nothing is quite what it seems;
I say nothing is nothing (Peter Hammill) |
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cstack3
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: July 20 2009 Location: Tucson, AZ USA Status: Offline Points: 7412 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 17:00 |
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What's wrong with ABBA?? If they are good enough for Fripp, they are good enough for me!! F: Abba are very, very good. http://www.arthurmag.com/2010/05/09/joe-strummer-and-robert-fripp-in-conversation-1981/ |
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Manuel
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 09 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13481 |
Posted: August 22 2011 at 17:50 |
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I think it's a similar issue to what people call "Rock Progressivo Italiano", in which the bands have a similar sound, even though the music is quite different, some being more symphonic, other more heavy prog influenced, etc. and yet, has a feel to it which is quite similar and distinctive. Swedish prog also has it's own sound, even though the bands are quite different in style, sound, etc.
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darkshade
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: November 19 2005 Location: New Jersey Status: Offline Points: 10964 |
Posted: August 23 2011 at 00:42 |
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Maybe they should have their own sub-genre here on PA. At the least it would allow more attention to many of these great bands. Let's face it, the classic 70s bands are all over the top albums charts for the sub genre's they're in. Bands like The Flower Kings have such undeserving ratings on this site.
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29485 |
Posted: August 23 2011 at 01:22 |
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I don't agree. Anglagard - Hybris is one of the top rated albums while some classic symph bands (well ELP mainly) have low ratings. The Flower Kings have churned out far too much 'middling' stuff with double CD's the norm. Even the classic seventies bands were apparently not as 'inspired' as Roine Stolte seems to be.
Edited by richardh - August 23 2011 at 01:22 |
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thehallway
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 13 2010 Location: Dorset, England Status: Offline Points: 1433 |
Posted: August 23 2011 at 03:42 |
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I love ABBA. That's why I said it! |
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Passionist
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 14 2005 Location: Finland Status: Offline Points: 1119 |
Posted: August 23 2011 at 04:47 |
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I dunno, to me Swedish music (and I have a lot of it on vinyls) has always sounded very cheerful, as if there were nothing wrong with the society, and therefore nothing to complain about. I mean, most of the pop in my country is really down and blue, based on crying and minor chords, but take Kaipa or Flower Kings for example, or even Ace of Base and Abba, you'll find some cheerfulness in them, you must. A lot of the lyrics and playing is also very clean, of course though, because it's symphonic prog usually. Well, I don't know, even Opeth sounds like positive music to me.
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Icarium
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: March 21 2008 Location: Tigerstaden Status: Offline Points: 34083 |
Posted: August 23 2011 at 07:13 |
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@ Passionist
actualy i agree that even as bleek most Opeth is their music have way more positive and major chord dominated then bands like Amorphis, (who is like the Finnish equivelant of Opeth), and they arent particurlarly bleek as of lateer releases)
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progrules
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 14 2007 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 958 |
Posted: August 25 2011 at 03:04 |
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I'm suprised nobody referred to Grand Stand, Galleon, Simon Says, A.C.T., Atlas, Mind's Eye, Evergrey and Pain of Salvation so far. Not to mention some lesser known bands like Cloudscape, Maze of Time and Introitus who are all excellent and it can't be a coincidence all these great bands are from Sweden. I don't know if there's a common ground or a general element detectable in all these bands sounds and styles. All I know is it's incredible quality and I check out anything from Sweden immediately if I don't know it yet.
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A day without prog is a wasted day
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mgarrett
Forum Newbie 
Joined: August 06 2007 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 3 |
Posted: September 13 2011 at 03:36 |
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The main ingredience that makes Swedish and Nordic/Scandinavian prog sound similar to eachother and different to prog from other parts of the world is, as many have already mentioned, their common roots in Nordic/Scandinavian folk music. Many have mentioned the sense of depression in the collective Nordic soul whether it comes from the dark, cold winters with no sunlight what so ever or from Ingemar Bergman-movies.
I think this is somewhat of a misconception.
I don't think it's depression but what is common to most Nordics (especially Sweden and Finland) is a sense of melancholy. (There is a huge difference between depression and melancholy)
This melancholy goes way back in the soul of the Nordic people and is something that they actually treasure.
Another thing I think might influence at least the Swedish prog and Swedish music in general are that there are two things that are strictly "forbidden" in the PC society of the country.
1. You must not think that you are better than anyone else ever. (This is commonly known as the "Jante law" in Sweden)
2. You must never be Nationalistic.
However, there are two fields within both of the two unwritten laws above are no longer valid and that seems to be in music and sports.
Where am I going with this?
 I think what might be uniting the bands of Sweden in both sound and field is that in the music these bands feel free finally to disregard boundries and also treasure and celebrate their cultural heritage of great folk music.
So, in order to reach a conclusion to my personal theory....
I think what makes the feel of the great bands of Sweden such as Anglagard, Anekdoten, The Flower Kings, Ritual, Opeth, Pain of Salvation, Salva, Kaipa and Landberk is a sense of melancholy in the collective national soul and also a joy of finally being able to ebrace all that is otherwise forbidden.
...oh and let's not forget....the influence of ABBA....
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rdtprog
Special Collaborator
Heavy, RPI, Symph, JR/F Canterbury Teams Joined: April 04 2009 Location: Mtl, QC Status: Offline Points: 5400 |
Posted: September 13 2011 at 04:47 |
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^^ Yes that's what i feel when listening to those bands, a beautiful sense of melancholy and not depression... |
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Icarium
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: March 21 2008 Location: Tigerstaden Status: Offline Points: 34083 |
Posted: September 13 2011 at 10:29 |
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The Jante Law (Danish and Norwegian: Janteloven; Swedish: Jantelagen; Finnish: Janten laki; Faroese: Jantulógin) is a pattern of group behaviour towards individuals within Scandinavian communities, which negatively portrays and criticizes individual success and achievement as unworthy and inappropriate. The Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose in his novel A fugitive crosses his tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor, 1933, English translation published in the USA in 1936) identified the Jante Law as a series of rules. Sandemose's novel portrays the small Danish town Jante (modelled upon his native town Nykøbing Mors as it was at the beginning of the 20th century, but typical of all small towns and communities), where nobody is anonymous.[1] Generally used colloquially as a sociological term to negatively describe an attitude towards individuality and success common in Scandinavia, the term refers to a mentality which refuses to acknowledge individual effort and places all emphasis on the collective, while punishing those who stand out as achievers. The term may often be used negatively by individuals who more or less rightfully feel they are not allowed to take credit for their achievements, or to point out their belief that another person is being overly critical. [edit] DefinitionThere are ten different rules in the law as defined by Sandemose, but they all express variations on a single theme and are usually referred to as a homogeneous unit: Don't think you're anyone special or that you're better than us. The ten rules state:
An eleventh rule recognized in the novel is: 11. Don't think that there aren't a few things we know about you. In the book, the Janters who transgress this unwritten 'law' are regarded with suspicion and some hostility, as it goes against communal desire in the town to preserve harmony, social stability and uniformity. |
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Swedish prog "feel"
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thehallway wrote: