AV SPRUCKET UT ÄR VALT ETT INUTI

If I'm going to talk about UR KAOS from Sweden, I need to first talk about Lars "Lach'n" Jonsson. If it's related to music he's probably already done it. Organizing concerts and festivals, teaching music, producing, running his own studio and label. A multi-instrumentalist and singer who was part of Sweden's avant scene. Lars was especially busy during the 80's.

He formed UR and released their debut in 1984. He formed ZUT UN FEU ROUGE releasing "Who's Afreud" in 1985. He released his first solo album "Music For the Dying Forest" also in 1985. Changes the name UR to UR KAOS and releases their first under that name in 1987, which was self-titled. Releases his second solo album in 1989 called "Songs From Cities Of Decay". Finally, a third UR KAOS album was recorded and mixed late in the 80's called "A Terrible Beauty Is Born" but not released until 1990. Busy boy. That last one I just mentioned was the best of the lot in my opinion up to that point.

That is until a surprise release of the album I'm reviewing today almost ten years after that one called "Av Sprucket Ut Ar Valt Ett Inuti" released in 1999. All of these albums I've mentioned were recorded and mixed at Lars' studio called "The Forest", and all were released on his label Bauta Records. And all have a similar themed art work. It was a long and creative process of improvising and experimenting at "The Forest" from 1995 to 1997 where the music here was formed and arranged, then mixed in 1998, and released the following year in 1999. This is the first time they sing in Swedish.

The one minor complaint I had about the previous record "A Terrible Beauty Is Born" were those gothic vocals which were contrasted with a different style of singing. The gothic vocals are gone here. That different style continues here, and they are in a ghostly and fragile form. They are a trio that includes keyboardist Johan Hedren formerly of KULTIVATOR. And I love that band. We hear sounds like fender rhodes, violin, taurus pedals, hohner clavinet, farfisa organ along with the usual rock instruments. Lots of dark atmosphere and punishing bass lines. An hour of music, and 21 tracks in total, but it really sounds like one long piece of music. So uniform sounding which I really am into, and consistent. My kind of album.

I have to read the press release for this. "With their subtly nuanced modulations of unreleased tension and atmosphere of sooty desolation, Sweden's UR KAOS are one of the precious few bands vibrating at an emotional frequency in tune with the resigned doom of THIS HEAT's Deceit". Yes they said that! My music right here people.