RIKTIGT ÄKTA

I found this album a little stolid, and lacking any real innovation. Subsequent listenings have sadly not improved this perception, and I fear it will now rest in Tier 3 of my prog collection: "Rarely Listened To...".

The reasons are thus: 1. The production is pretty poor - the instruments are too cleanly recorded (especially the invasive drums) which creates an atmosphere of rehearsal room gloom rather than ethereal otherworldly bleakness (which I think they were aiming at). Although this probably wont bother many people, I felt constantly reminded that I was listening to 'a band' rather than pieces of music. Its a bit like that Hobbit having a Glaswegian accent in the Lord of the Rings movie - you are suddenly transported back to Sauchiehall St on a Saturday night, rather than into the depths of Isengaard.

2. The biggest problem (and frustration) is that the music is lacking any real inspiration and depth. The vast majority of it consists of 16-bar phrases repeated over and over, without the kind of development or musical deviation craved by most progressive fans. Another reviewer drew attention to the "complex rhythms", but I found the album plodded along in straight 4s for the most part. The drummer (clearly a competent, if undaring, one) tried to liven things up by dropping the odd snare and shuffling his limited drum breaks around, but ultimately, he failed to add anything worthy to the mix other than rigid timing. The guitarist(s) meanwhile offered little colour to the skeletal songs, opting to for simple first position chords over a more elaborate orchestration, which ultimately bores the listener for large parts of each song. Occasional innovative flutters appear to be due to luck rather than genuine talent, as the standard is rarely maintained. Then there is the keyboard/mellotron player - why do prog bands insist on using the mellotron? Is it to rekindle the halcyon days of Bob Fripp? Is it a tribute to a period when experimentation was respectable? Is it because they want to sound like 'prog'? It certainly doesn't add anything to Landberk's sound. Indeed, the keyboard player does little more than provide boring triads (about the limits of the mellotron) and echo the bass runs (which themselves are often simplistic and dull).

3. Finally, I dont speak Swedish (I'm assuming thats what it is...), and thus the meaning of the songs are lost on me. This has not necessarily been a bad thing in the past ( I love Sigur Ros for example), and often prog lyrics can be utterly terrible - not understanding them can be a blessing. Unfortunately for Landberk, the music is not strong enough to carry it. Fluent Swedish speakers may find something more positive in the lyrical element of the album, but I fear that non-Swedes may struggle to enjoy this drab collection without a comprehendable narrative.

On the positive side, there are one or two tracks that drag this album out of the "Forget It" category. A nice long drumless, voice-less, medieval instrumental track will probably work its way onto an ambient compilation of mine.

On the whole though, a disappointing effort, and sadly, representative of my initial forays in Scandanavain prog. Further suggestions gratefully received...