DUNGEN

I really like how they stay within themselves yet often there is so much going on with each doing there thing with passion. Those fuzzy guitar leads set the tone but the active drum work and keys certainly scratch that itch. That last track at a surprising 8 1/2 minutes is about as psychedelic as this band gets. The last half being filled with sounds echoing as it trips along. I like the floating organ to get this track going as well. And I forgot about the flute which is prominent on the third and fourth numbers which are both highlights for me along with the opener which is the title track. That distorted guitar, busy drum work and this is very psychedelic then a horn after 2 minutes as the guitar steps aside briefly during this instrumental section.

So good to hear some good music and this is a top five for me from this band. They have released nine studio albums since 2001.

Released in 2010 it is surprisingly mellow but with some beautiful and memorable melodies. And hey these guys are all players so it's interesting that within the more laid back music we get some real displays of talent. Fiske is clearly mixing things up as well with his playing and style giving us some variety in the guitar department. The flute from Ejstes is important on this release as well but this multi-instrumentalist is all over this album with a variety of instruments as well as his voice.

Top three would certainly include the opener which is my favourite. It's that gorgeous melody with the flute that just opens up before a minute. This is followed by "Min Enda Van" and yes this album opens strong with these first two tracks. Claps, piano, vocals and guitar giving us a light and folky start. The vocals and sound rise before a minute and we get strings too. Two beautiful tracks to get us started. Final top three is "Barnen Undrar" with that urgent beat and cool sounding guitar, love that tone as vocals join in. It's piano and guitar leading after 2 minutes as the vocals step aside briefly but when the singing returns so does that guitar tone. Nice.

A fairly consistent record with my least favourite being the title track surprisingly and it could have finished stronger with the final two songs but still a very solid 4 stars for this beauty.

1. "Vara snabb" (3:10) a poppy instrumental in which flute takes the central lead in place of a voice. Nice song. (9/10)

2. "Min enda vän" (3:15) more upbeat pop with claps and major scale key. Sensitive vocals and strings and flute contribute to this song's universal accessibility. Definitely a top three song. (9.25/10)

3. "Brallor" (3:15) following a kind late-1960s "dirty" psych-pop musical style similar to The Association or The Pretty Things, popular female vocalist Anna Järvinen matches up very well to Gustaf Ejstes. Another top three song. (9/10)

4. "Soda" (3:39) sensitive guitars, acoustic and electric, are matched with sensitive multi-track vocals. Reine gets some shine-time and the drum-and-strum supported chorus sections are awesome. Beautiful "Flower Child" song. A top three song for me. (9.5/10)

5. "Högdalstoppen" (4:44) an psych-jazzy instrumental to let Reine loose--in which the Inner Hendrix is set free. Even the support band sounds and feels like Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. (8.5/10)

6. "Skit i allt" (2:59) back to pop--a melodic structure not as engaging to Americans because of the Swedish lyrics. (8.5/10)

7. "Barnen undrar" (3:21) a kind of hybrid of psychedelic fuzz guitar into a pop song. Oddly, it works: it's as if Reine's guitar and Ejstes' voice are having a conversation. (8.75/10)

8. "Blandband" (3:49) opens like a Vince Guaraldi Peanuts song with piano, jazz drums, and syncopated clapping creating the uptempo fabric of what will stay an instrumental song. Reine's reined in guitar joins in during the second or third "verse" and is very spacious and respectful in its contributions. Flute, clapping, and excellent drumming really carry the tune start to finish. (8.75/10)

9. "Nästa sommar" (3:20) acoustic guitar and congas are soon joined by Byrds-like picked electric guitar. The song takes a minute to gel, but then Gustaf's vocal sense and Pan-like flute play bring it together. (8.5/10)

10. "Marken låg stilla" (2:55) Paul McCartney-like piano chords open this before cymbal-heavy drums and bass join in to support Gustaf's vocal. Reine's heavy electric guitar joins in during the first chorus and then persists. Not sure Reine's and Gustaf's visions for this song/album are in sync here. (8/10)

Total Time: 34:27

Though Reine Fiske's guitar contributions are, in my opinion, not always the best fit for several of these songs, I think the band's crossover into a more pop-oriented realm of music is justified--they have the talent and skill to be successful there--especially in a world that is very much interested in a renaissance of hippy/flower child styles and dreams.

B/four stars; a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you love the psych pop of the late 1970s.

"Peri Banu Vid Sjon" is a trippy tune with percussion, bass and atmosphere. "Jakten Genom Skogen" is one of my favourites. Just a beautiful sound to this one with the acoustic guitar and mellotron. It picks up as the percussion and bass join in. Man that mellotron/ drum sound is incredible! "Wak- Wak's Porter" is surprisingly noisy with flute playing over top. Not big on this one.

"Den Fattige Aladdin" is a short and light flute led piece with shuffling drums. "Trollkarlen Och Fa Geldrakten" opens with bass as piano, drums and more kicks in. This is repetitive with experimental sounds over top. The rhythm stops after 3 1/2 minutes as the organ continues to the end. "Grotten" is spacey throughout. "Haxan" is heavy sounding with plenty of fuzz until it mellows out before 2 minutes and eventually keys join the repetitive beat.

"Aladdins Flykt Over Havlt" has lots of keys and deep sounds. "Kalifen" reminds me a lot of PROCOL HARUM with that organ sound leading the way. That vibe changes though when the guitar expressions and keyboard sounds take over with a beat. "Achmed Flyger" is another favourite of mine. Piano to start before we get hit with a mellotron storm, head for cover! A driving rhythm kicks in quickly and the mellotron here is relentless until it gives way to flute before 3 minutes but the mellotron does return later. Great tune!

"Aladdin Och Lampan, Del 1" features laid back piano lines that come and go throughout. "Aladdin Och Lampan, Del 2" is flute driven with a beat. "Achmed Och Peri Banu" opens with piano and it will come and go as we get a bass line joining in. This is fairly simple and laid back. "Andarnas Krig" ends the album as I mentioned earlier in a raw and heavy manner with lots of distorted guitar from Fiske. They just seem to jam in a heavy way.

I do prefer the spacey sections, especially the mellotron driven ones over this heavy tune and the odd other heavy section on this album. Still a very solid 4 stars for this mellotron feast, one of the better mellotron albums of 2016.

1. "Peri Banu vid sjön" (3:01) an atmospheric experimentation in dronescapes with bass and simple drumming. Nice. (8.5/10)

2. "Jakten genom skogen" (4:10) is an amazingly soothing though uptempo two-chord acoustic guitar-based instrumental jam drenched heavily with Mellotron and incredible percussion work. One of my favorite songs I've heard from all year. Not to be missed by any prog lovers! (10/10)

3. "Wak-Wak's portar" (1:35) heavily distorted electric guitar strums and pans while free-form flute 'child's play' form this wildly psychedelic song.

4. "Den fattige Aladdin" (0:30) sounds like someone listening to flute over the radio or television.

5. "Trollkarlen och fågeldräkten" (4:30) sounds like a VINCE GURALDI TRIO or KOOP loop over which guitar(s?) and organ(/synths?) are racing in a wild tapestry. Cool! Psychedelic entropy. (9/10)

6. "Grottan" (0:58) eery space music culminates in 7. "Häxan" (2:48) plays like a funeral march over which folk themes are explored. "The Witch" to be sure. (9/10)

8. "Aladdin's flykt över havet" (0:59) is a brief synth and Mellotron play over toms and bass. This one sounds like it could come out of a Miyazaki/Studio Gibli film. More of this! (9.5/10)

9. "Kalifen" (4:37) starts out sounding very much like the organ, drums and bass tracks to PROCUL HAREM's "Whiter Shade of Pale"--which came from a Bach melody, if I'm not mistaken. By then end of the third minute it has shifted into something more jazz experimental--almost SUN RA or LARRY YOUNG like. Awesome song! (9.5/10)

10. "Achmed flyger" (4:33) piano, Mellotron and upbeat drums and bass make this uptempo instrumental another winner. The true adventurer in this one is the Mellotron (especially in trying to keep up with that piano). The main melody is quite familiar. Awesome jam--like an ANEKDOTEN live jam. (9/10)

11. "Aladdin och lampan, del 1" (0:49) heavily treated solo piano. It's pretty. And still quite DUNGEN/ESTES-like. 12. "Aladdin och lampan, del 2" (1:12) flute and upright piano take the leads for this one--over bass, drums and acoustic guitar. Nice flute play. Strange fade out into 'radio background' while "del 1" returns.

13. "Achmed och Peri Banu" (3:10) broody, moody, and deeply emotional, this gorgeous song sounds like it could come out of some Greek tragedy film--except for the KOOP-like bass play. Incredible song! I feel like crying! (10/10)

14. "Andarnas Krig" (6:21) the only long song on the album, it opens with some Hendrix-like feeback & distortion strums of electric guitar. Alone. At 0:40 the rest of the band kicks in to create a jam that is truly reminiscent of the best psychedlia from the late 1960s and early 1970s (both CREAM and NEKTAR come to mind). The pace gradually picks up until, by the fourth minute, the speed is almost breakneck. Just when you wonder whether they can go any faster or if the guitar shredding (literally) can get more frenetic, everything starts to 'crash' and 'fall apart.' (What kind of animated film was this??!) But then the phoenix gathers up its ashes and begins to pull itself back together for one more sprint into frenzied chaos. Wow! Quite free for all; quite a jam. THE WHO at their most violent. Makes one wonder what the studio looked like after this song was over! Amazing! (9.5/10)

A masterpiece of progressive rock music and one film that I definitely want to see (if it has this soundtrack attached to it)!

1. "Allas Sak" (3:29) opens the album with a couple great hooks: high pitch Rhodes piano arpeggi, a repeated series of descending slide notes on the electric guitar, and then syncopated electric guitar strums. Once the full band joins in and lead singer and principle songwriter Gustav Ejstes begins to sing, all sounds like the Dungen we've come to know and love. Some odd horn in the "C" solo slot feels fresh and new (Gustav on tenor sax?). (9/10)

2. "Sista Festen" (2:25) is a bongo-based song set up for Gustav's multi-layered, harmonized vocals and some Reine Fiske guitar soloing. (8/10)

3. "Sista gästen" (2:40) is a kind of set up for layers of wind instruments (multiple flutes, saxophone) and electric guitar work, Gustav's forward but whispered vocal and some Michael Giles-like drum play. Very interesting to hear electric guitar woven in with the "horn section" of flutes and saxes! (9/10)

4. "Franks Kaktus" (5:40) is an awesome bongo-based flute and electric guitar face off. Ejstes and Fiske bring the best out of each other--and the support crew of drummer Johan Holmegård and electric bass player Mattias Gustavsson are so solid. This is one awesome song! (10/10)

5. "En gång om året" (4:32) begins with pretty solo electric piano play, establishing the melody that Gustav soon picks up with his solo Swedish vocals. At 1:12 the rest of the band joins in for a few seconds before flutes, mellotron and acoustic guitar establish a kind of BEACH BOYS feel. Some amazing effects are used on Reine Fiske's slow but emotional soling in the song's final minute. Such a gorgeous, mature composition! Don't miss this one! Quite outside the usual Dungen wheelhouse! (10/10)

6. "Åkt Dit" (3:00) begins with piano and bass making moves around one another before the song kicks into nice with some really nice drumming, great vocal melodies (sung in Swedish), and awesome tenor saxophone contributions. Is that Reine Fiske on the Mellotron? (9/10)

7. "En Dag På Sjön" (4:13) is a piano-based instrumental jam set up for Reine Fiske and drummer Johan Holmegård to go ape crazy over. It feels as if it were an edited piece from a longer whole band jam--faded into as all four instrumentalists are hitting on all cylinders. Nice, and not excessive. (9/10)

8. "Flickor Och Pojkar" (3:10) is another instrumental, this one a little more delicate and soft. It opens with a xylophone sound (Rhodes piano?), flute and some kind of strummed percussive (later becoming the strummed acoustic guitar?) maintaining a floral quality to it throughout. (8/10)

9. "Ljus In I Min Panna" (3:57) is a pretty straightforward rock song with Reine Fiske's fuzz guitar lead playing throughout, though more in the background than on "En Dag På Sjön." Este's singing in the first half of the song is less melodic, more monotonous. Nice jamming to end, but definitely the weakest song on the album. (7/10)

10. "Sova" (8:34) opens with slow moving, floating organ chords supported by simple, basic rhythm section, while a heavily-treated vocal joins in (singing in Swedish) within the first minute. This one has an almost PROCUL HARUM feel to it. Harp and some of Reine Fiske's finest lead guitar work on the album help fill the gaps between singing parts. The background organ work in the fifth minute is quite interesting: at times quite a bit like carnival music, at others almost reverent, church-like. Over the top RF's truly psychedelic lead work slowly takes us off-world, into other dimensions. (The other instruments somehow magically disappear as if to support and/or enhance this effect.) Extraordinary song. (9/10)

I do think this is Dungen's most diverse, varied and mature set of songs--less hard as Ta Det Lugnt, not nearly as poppy as Skit I Allt, more eclectic than 4. Great album. If you love the Dungen sound but want to see the band continue to grow and experiment, don't miss this album. Your wish has arrived! 4.5 stars! Give me a little while, I may bump it up to 5 stars!

Well, yes and no. According to the band, the reason why they decided to focus on a foreign market was because back in Sweden, they were constantly branded as a "Progg" band. Thats right, "Progg" not "Prog". If you have talked with any Swedish Progheads on this site, then you probably know what that means, but if you dont then here is a short description: "Progg" wich is short for "Proggressiva Musikrörelsen" ("The Progressive Musicmovement") was a musical phenomen in the late 60's and early to mid 70's in Sweden, wich can best be described as a sort of delayed Hippie movement. The original idea was to hold festivals and in other ways promote alternative and uncommercial music, but in the bigger picture it tied in with the general left wing social struggles of that time. The music that the "Progg" bands played was diverse, ranging from Reagge to Pop and yes, even real Progressive Rock! (Samla Mammas Manna was considered to be a part of the "Progg" movement, for example.) However, standard Rock was the most common. If we can return to Dungen for awhile then i must say that i am not surprised that they got that brand from the media atleast at this stage in their career, because this is real "Hippie music"! There aint necessarily anything wrong with that, but this album feels toothless. Reine Fiskes amazing guitar talents are seriously underused, except in the track "Vem Vaktar Lejonen?" ("Who Guards The Lions?") wich has a riff that reminds of the one in the Lenny White song "The Great Pyramid". Awesome, in other words. Unfortunately the 9 tracks before it except for "Fest" ("Party") and "Över Stock Och Sten" ("Over Log and Rock") just dont do it for me. There is way to much Organ, Flute and Violin and too little Guitar for my taste. Gustaf Estjes is a fantastically talented multi-instrumentalist and at the best times the music reminds me of Phish crossed with Jethro Tull, but in the very worst times it reminds me of two bit Indie Rock, wich is a shame when i know that these guys can do better.

The lyrics are also incredibly cheesy with nearly all of them dealing with Summer, Birds, Flowers, Being at one with nature etc, etc. This is something that was fixed on the following album aswell.

This is quite a pleasant little trip, but for the real Psychedelic ROCK album, i recommend the one after this.

For some reason this album by the Swedish kings of psychedelic rock revival is rated the lowest on PA. Personally I find it to be a hidden gem in their discography, and while that very well may be down to me understanding the lingo, and the fact that a lot of this album sets scene in a Scandinavian capital filled to the brim with urban delights, flickering sunshine when the summer calls us out to the ocean, and something that a lot of we Northeners share, which is a similar sense of humour and that secret knowledge of what sitting at an empty shoreline at 4 in the morning watching the sky appear in orangy colours - drinking beers, talking about life, people, music and the finer things in life, - what such a thing can bring with it............While that very well may be, I still believe most PA people would dig this big time. I know of at least one American dude who has caught the bug, and inside a time frame of 2 weeks, he'd purchased every album of theirs(here's looking at you Steve).

Anyway back to that bond between us Scandinavians and our mutual adoration of the sparse summer days we get; maybe that is the key to an album that otherwise appears a little too straightforward to the average prog rock dude. I mean 11 cuts, and not a single long piece to scratch that ever so fleeting itch...?! Hold your horses though, because this album absolutely positively smokes! Why? Every song is brilliantly performed, the song writing is inspired, and you do get a lot of different moods wandering freely around a certain psychedelic core, which has always been the centre of attention in Dungen's music. Sure, they sound like they just stepped off the ol Delorian, after having spent the latter half of the sixties jamming together, they zoom straight into a modern studio and deliver the feel, energy and everything passionate and vibrant from the age of beards, - but what's not to like about that image?

While many of the tracks in fact are featured on their debut album, all of it seems new and infinitely more 'together' - at least sound wise. The production skills went up a notch, but only to the point of now being better able to distinguish the instruments from each other, and a certain bigness to some of the arrangements that include windswept flute journeys riding on top of some of the most alluring balladry psych music known to mankind - taking this listener back to Caravan's Love Song With Flute and KC's classic I Talk to the Wind. Beautiful................. Speaking of those two cuts, then imagine the feel and vibe of the production, and then transport it into a psychedelic rock n folk band that oozes early urban summer vibes.

Summer is pretty close to being omnipresent in Dungen's lyrics and music. The freedom it brings - the light - the way it opens up the city, makes it blossom with thousands of people who look like they've been waiting for the occasion for years on end. The feel of wandering through the streets bathed in sunlight or perhaps sitting by the stillness of the lake wearing only a pair of jeans - with the wind softly sipping through your hair.

There are many high points on Stadsvandringar(city wanderings), and I particularly dig the obvious sing-a-long song Har Du Vart' I Stockholm, that also includes some rather beautiful and airy synths at the tail end of the chorus................... I love the rocking groove of Över Stock och Sten, which quite aptly translates into over stock and stone........................ I love the earthiness and timbre of Fredrik Björling's fantastic rumbling drumming,................ I love the breezy character of Ejste's early morning vocals that sound like yearning and care-freeness all at once.

Hang on - what about the sitars, the gentle congas and that genuine Rickenbacker bass sound that tears up trees from the ground by their roots? What about Reine Fiske, - a man I personally consider to be one of the finest guitarists of the past two decades? This guy is remarkable, and as I've said so many a times, I really do consider him to be the perfect splicing of Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour - only with a soul of his own - one that fumbles around in folk, strange atmospheric post rock gestures, a slide technique that truly sounds like shooting stars in olive oil. Lastly you get the genius of his wild spiralling solos, that on Stadsvandringar do tend to be short and somewhat restrained. Even so, when he breaks loose from the foundation of things, he can bring down buildings and woo women like there was no tomorrow.

I can't choose which part of the equation I like the best actually....

If you enjoy the sounds of the late sixties, early 70s, and feel comfortable enough with your manhood, back yard and former council man - to try out other spoken languages than the English, then you should track down a Dungen album as soon as possible. Many have tried to re-erect the greatness and pomp of the classic psychedelic rock explosion, and many have failed because of misconceptions about what constitutes warm and vibrant sound production, - yet with Dungen everything seems to have come together beautifully.

This album lacks some of the soon to come fusion bridges, Dungen would implement in their music the subsequent years(and actually still do), but the raw emotive power of the playing here trumps any need for those in my honest opinion. As much as I love that aspect of latter day Dungen, I feel it'd be unnecessary for this one. There's a charm, a smile and a certain twinkle in it's eye, - something that makes it one of my personal faves from the band.

Take this one with you down to the beach and experience the soundtrack of summer. 4.5 stars.

"Dungen 4" is actually the band's fifth album; though I believe one of the earlier albums may officially be an archival, post-hoc release of early material. No matter: this is Dungen reaching an apex of creativity. Having mastered the art of creating a warm, direct-from-1968 psychedelic sound on his first couple of releases, Gustav Ejstes eventually formed a stable band lineup by the time of the third album (the breakthrough "Ta Det Lugnt"), and then this band proceeded to add layers of subtlety and ornate arrangement into the pieces, even as the pieces became shorter and more succinct. This mature approach is epitomized on this album, which includes ten short songs totaling less than 40 minutes, yet most of these songs contain even more musical content than the seven minute monsters they were churning out just a couple of years prior.

The opening track, "Sätt Att Se", kicks off the album in much the same way that "Airbag" kicked off Radioheads "OK Computer" album: a thick haze of sound framing a moody piano ballad, with strings and piano providing the jazzy harmonics, bass and drums maintaining a quiet but steady pulse, and Reine Fiske's lead guitar creating the kind of palpable texture that only Fiske can provide (see his multitude of other projects for elaboration on this). "Målerås Finest" is next, taking things to an even more poignant level, Ejstes' piano taking the lead on an instrumental, for a sad, simple melody. Track 3 "Det Tar Tid" follows, picking up the pace just a little - the big WOW factor on this track is achieved from the close vocal harmonies, pushing this complex little miniature to ecstatic heights. "Samtidigt 1" is the first of two excerpts from an improvised guitar jam included on this album, and it pumps up the rock quotient considerably and gives Reine Fiske a chance in the spotlight with full-on squalor (the full 15 minute "Samtidigt" from which the two excerpts was taken was also released as an EP in its own right - well worth seeking out). "Imgenting Ar Sig Likt" (track 5) closes the first half of the album in a relatively unremarkable way - this kind of unmemorable atmospheric piece seems to be precisely the kind of tune that Dungen is usually so adept at avoiding; still, it's at least pleasant if a bit uneventful.

The second half of the album begins with the only other track on the album that doesn't WOW me, the instrumental "Fredag". Unlike the prior song, plenty of drama occurs in this piece; however, the main melody introduced by Fiske's echoed slide guitar just sounds a little too close to Morris Albert's "Feelings" for comfort ("Feelings... nothing more than Feelings..." augghh!). Still, not a deal breaker by any means. And the closing four tracks which follow meet or exceed the high level of quality set in the first few tracks. "Finns Det Någon Möjlighet" (track 7) and "Mina Damer Och Fasaner" (track 8) bring back the spine chilling vocal harmonies, compelling yet complex melodic themes, and thickly baroque instrumental arrangements. "Samtidigt 2" comes next, the second excerpt from the aforementioned guitar jam, this time occupying a surprisingly Santana/Allman Brothers-like territory. "Bandhagen" closes the album with a simple, piano-led (with Mellotron and celeste providing counterpoint) instrumental that seems like a more optimistic take on the sad piano piece from Track 2. A very appropriately understated ending to an album which never tries to overwhelm the listener, but rather aims to give the listener a rich, nutritious tray of musical hors d'oerves with a full array of flavors that satisfies, but doesn't fill you up. Hmm, it must be getting near lunch time.

I'll give this a very high 4. The album sags just a wee bit in the middle, but apart from a couple of less than stellar tracks, the other eight tracks have some of the most richly accomplished and ear-pleasing music I've heard in recent years. How Swede it is!

Not my favorite Dungen album, but then, there are so many great ones. Still, this is a good one. Very good.

Album highlights: "Det Du T'nker Idag 'r Du I Morgon" (3:58) (9/10); the HENDRIX-like "Bortgl'md" (4:27) (9/10); the BEATLES-like melodic "Lipsill" (2:45) (8/10); the trippy, keyboard laden "Om Du Vore Vakthund" (3:02) (9/10); more HENDRIX in "Sluta F'lja Efter" (4:52) (8/10), and; the LIGHTHOUSE "One Fine Morning"-like, "Sjutton" (2:50) (9/10).