NYA LJUDBOLAGET

This could have been a high rating by me because this record contains some really good and exciting tunes. Prog Folk isn't a good definition of the music on this record. Some tracks are folk and it is those tracks I love, others are fusion or avant-garde and even som psychedelic. This is the group's only record. It was released 1980 and had a nice painting on the cover by Tage Åsén. This record was done when the swedish "progg" movement was almost gone and MNW had begun release mainstream artists. This record features Ove Karlsson, Hans Bruniusson, Ulf Wallander and Karl-Erik Eriksson. I will start with explain what's so great with this record and afterwards reveal why that is not enough.

The first song is a lyrical tune on a modal background. The lyrics are about somebody taking farewell of a sweatheart. It's a beautiful text, inciting somebody to take a chance to change its life when travelling somewhere else. Unfortunately this song hasn't a distinct melody, but what makes it stil good is the vocals of the brilliant Marie Selander. She was born 1947 and was a big name in the swedish progg movement. Mostly she sung folk music (for example "Lillfar och Lillmor, The Diddlers, Låt och trall) and political progg, both in her own name on the record "Från den svenska vildmarken" and on the feminist record "Sånger om kvinnor". It's bad she did not do that more on this record.

What I like most here is the folk parts. "Trio/När gryningen kommer" is totally fantastic. It has the swedish melancolic and pastoral feeling, it's really emotional. "Cellohalling/Puténska marschen" is also a very talanted and great piece. In the end of Puténska marschen you can hear som tunes return from Samla mammas mannas record "Snorungarnas symfoni" which alse refers to a teasing chant. The most explicit swedish folk song is "Brudmarsch från Orsa" which is both dark, experimental and ancient. "Minnesvisa" reminds me of "Visa i Midsommartid" a famous swedish song from the early 1900s.

But there are som pieces who destroy what the bright ones have built up. "Immigrantlament" is quite weak but it's "Ramlösa mammas fritid" and "Continuum Prometheus" that is really bad stuff. The first one is way to experimental for my taste. Hard to enjoy. The second one is very long and monotonic, it's not nice at all. It seams there were a lot of thoughs about it and of course it could be artistic to be minimalistic but it's far from my opnion of good music.

I recommend you to pick up the good ones and leave the others behind.