JAG ÄR TIDEN

You can find three Landberk songs sung in Swedish from this small CD, continuing the releasing policy of making different studio takes with both Swedish and English lyrics. Two of these compositions are also on their "One Man Tells Another" album; "Jag Är Tiden" ("Time") with really anxious descending melodies and troubled thoughts, and "Du Är" ("You Are"), a minor ballad turning in agony for the other direction grasping for non-existing help. Both very good, but the versions on the long player album still spin more dearer to me. The previously unreleased track "Marie & Anna" is really laid back gem here, possibly relating to the smoking themed pictures the band used also on the "One Man Tells Another" longplayer. If you understand Swedish, it might be interesting to compare how these lyrics differ from the English versions. Also if found with moderate price, the new track released here is an essential addition to a complete Landberk discography.

This EP "Jag Ar Tiden" came out the same year as "One Man Tells Another" in 1994. Two of the three songs on this EP are on that studio album which was sung entirely in English, while the songs on this EP are sung in Swedish.

The first song "Jag Ar Tiden" ("Time" on "One Man Tells Another") is one of my all time favourite songs. It stands out from their early body of work because it's so upbeat.The guitar is strummed aggressively and at a fairly high pitch, while the singing, although not strained, is at a higher pitch than normal, and done so with passion. I love this song even if I don't understand the words.The last 2 songs sound like typical Landberk. "Marie & Anna" opens with drums that are joined quickly by bass then guitar. Vocals before a minute. Organ 2 minutes in. It sounds very Swedish before 4 minutes, like ANEKDOTEN. Some fairly powerful organ 5 1/2 minutes in to end it.

"Du Dar" (The Swedish version of "You Are" from "One Man Tells Another") opens with an intricate guitar melody as vocals join in.This is melancholic as bass and drums join in around a minute.Themes are repeated. Great sound 3 minutes in. Some nice bass after 4 minutes, while we get some scorching guitar a minute later.

I have the "Lonely Land" record, and LANDBERK's music tends to be about creating a grey atmosphere, like looking at black and white photos. Scandanavian Folk music (which isn't for everyone as you probably can tell by the ratings of their records) is about telling stories, creating a mood, and not usually a happy one. (Ha ha). This EP has mellotron on all three tracks by the way.

If you can get this EP don't even think twice just get it !

Swedish progressive rock bands often show their love for KING CRIMSON and LANDBERK is one of them.I don't have to write much about this EP since it contains three tracks and these tracks are the only ones I've ever heard by this band so there is no comparisons with other albums etc...I think the best description for the sound of the band is a lighter, more modern and less dark version of ANEKDOTEN...good vocals, mellow musicianship and KING CRIMSON-esque atmosphere is what you will get from this album...I would like ti listen to a full studio album by LANDBERK for further reviews and a more fair critic...Recommended...

A mixed bag even for the Swedish-speaking population.

I haven't actually began exploring Landberk until recently, even though they are my countrymen and have been around for quite some time now. This three track EP was in fact my introduction to the band and features Landberk performing some of the tracks off One Man Tells Another in their native language. Both Jag Är Tiden and Du Är are easily the highlights here, which might explain why they both of the compositions made it two the full length studio album. Still, I can't say that the Swedish vocals bring anything worth a while to the already well-known compositions, except maybe for the fact that Jag Är Tiden roughly translates to I Am The Time and not Time, as it's titled in English.

Some might argue that the native vocals make these songs more personal since Patric Helje is known for having a dialect whenever he performs in English. Unfortunately, all the pros are overshadows by the fact that the Swedish lyrics are just hideous whenever I actively try listening to them. The most extreme example comes on the song Marie & Anna, which does have a nice groove to it whenever I completely ignore the lyrical context.

Landberk haven't exactly made me excited about their work after hearing this EP. I've certainly learned to avoid the band's Swedish speaking output, which probably means that I'll miss out on all the greatness featured on their debut release Riktigt Äkta, but I'm sure that my ears will thank me in the long run. Jag Är Tiden is a good, but non-essential piece of the mid-'90s prog revival that will probably be enjoyed by the fans of the era. Other will most certainly manage without it.

**** star songs: Jag Är Tiden (3:45) Du Är (6:05)

*** star songs: Marie & Anna (5:53)

This is my introduction to Landberk so far, an attenuated presentation tilted towards Swedish language versions of concurrent album pieces. While it's tempting to compare them to a whole host of brooding, atmospheric and, to varying degrees, "heavy" proponents of mostly Scandinavian prog, it's noteworthy that they were one of the first and possibly more influential.

All three tracks are vocal oriented, deliberate percussion and lucid guitar work mounting an efficient backdrop. The best of these is the opening number, even though it is the shortest. It sounds like the POLICE in an alternative universe, both vocally and musically, while being more thrilling than anything by that band. The remaining numbers are more conventionally Nordic, dark and spare, with subtle complexities and, yes, wondrous mellotron, like conversations in which the intent is succinctly expressed yet never directly conveyed.

If you've the time, and only a little for that matter, this EP might whet the appetite for a more sizable investment in the Landberk discography.

Jag Är Tiden is a laid-back three-song offering from Landberk, a Swedish group then in the middle of their five-year existence. This is the first music I've heard from them. I found them on freegal; as of this writing, these are the only three Landberk songs available on that platform.

In finding out more about the band, I saw two points repeatedly. The first is that Landberk's music is "dark." I don't really hear that on Jag Är Tiden, although maybe these three tracks aren't representative of the group's music. Or maybe it's the lyrics; the songs are sung in Swedish, of which I have no understanding. According to Google Translate, the title of the first song, "Jag Är Tiden" in Swedish means "I'm the Time" in English, while the third, "Du Där," means "You There." The English versions of these songs, from One Man Tell's Another (1994) are titled "Time" and "You Are." I'm not sure that there is an English version of the second song, "Marie & Anna" (on which the vocalist sings "Marie och Anna").

While I wouldn't use the term "dark," I agree that the sound here is melancholy; "Marie & Anna" in particular is a somber tune. "Jag Är Tiden" and "Du Där" are more lively, though certainly not upbeat. The three songs also have a somewhat relaxed feel, which is probably another reason that Jag Är Tiden seems somber yet not dark.

The second thing the internet taught me about Landberk is that the band was known for its use of the Mellotron. The keyboards on Jag Är Tiden are very understated; they didn't even register with me the first time I listened to it. They're definitely there, though primarily as an atmospheric or sweeting element. In fact, although there's only one guitarist on the EP (Motorpsycho collaborator Nils Reine Fiske), the secondary guitar parts are usually more audible than the synthesizers. I wonder whether Landberk was going for a more radio-friendly alternative sound in 1994 - - kind of like Rush - - rather than the big-keyboard sound of the prior decade.

Jag Är Tiden, while not grungy, must have sounded up-to-date in 1994; the rhythm section sounds like Stone Temple Pilots, or maybe Temple of the Dog. But throughout the EP, vocalist Patric Helje eschews the affected singing style that was popular among AOR groups in the mid-1990s. He has a strong, almost operatic voice. On the opening song, "Jag Är Tiden," he reminds me of Bono, but that's partly because the song itself sounds a bit like U2. The fairer comparison is probably Sting. In terms of alt-rockers of the period, Helje's style is similar to that of Eddie Vedder, but again, with less affect.

While all three tunes are solid and melodic, the strongest song here is "Marie & Anna." It's also the most Seattle-sounding song. Other than the chorus, it's strongly reminiscent of Stone Temple Pilots. But on the whole, Jag Är Tiden doesn't sound derivative, although I wouldn't characterize it as progressive. It perfectly fits the Prog Archives definition of three stars: good, but not essential.