KEBNEKAJSE

It came as quite shock when i found that Kebnekaise had released a new album. The first one in 31 years! And the second shock came when i heard the songs from this album played live in concert. Except for the more modern sound quality, they really havn't changed a bit in sound! The songs from this album wouldn't have been a bit out of place on their second or third album!

My favorite song from this album is probably the longest song on the album, "Polska från Alfta". It gives a hint of their on-stage improvisation with violin and guitar solos while keeping a fantastic steady, grooving and highly danceable 3/4 beat. "Polska" is by the way a traditional folk-dance in 3/4. The most fun song on this album is "Vallåt", which is actually a rock-version of the song you traditionally sing while calling on the cows!

For those of you who don't understand swedish, i can tell you that the songs titles arn't very special or intersesting. "Brudmarsch" means "Bride march", and is a song played at weddings, most of the time on violin. "Skänklåt" means a song that is dedicated to someone. "Polska" as i said, is a traditional folk dance, and Leksand, Alfta & Enviken are towns or villages is sweden. So the song titles basically translates to "Polska from some village", "Song dedicated to someone" and such.

If you enjoyed their second and third album, you would have to be pretty stupid not to enjoy this one aswell! For me it's an obvious 5-star album. A fantastic return-to-form from one of swedens best bands!

After 31 years the leaders of Swedish Folk Prog returns and it' as if their three albums between 1976 and 1978, plus the subsequent three decades, never had happened. They sound exactly as they did on their second and third albums.

Still, there's something amiss, and I'm not talking about the extended psychedelic tracks present on the classic albums. Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's the modern production, but I feel that the atmosphere and mystery achieved on melodies like "Horgalåten" and "Skänklåt från Rättvik" are gone here.

Perhaps a romanticized memory but I remember the feeling I got when listening to their second album while reading about Swedish folklore. I got a hint of that when listening to this new release while driving through Dalarna, the province of Sweden most associated with traditional Swedish culture. Most tracks KEBNEKAJSE choose to interpret (many are traditional songs, a few their own compositions) basically translates to 'melody from village/town in Dalarna or Hälsingland'. (another Swedish province rich in traditional Folk music)

Best tracks are "Leksands skänklåt" and "Brudmarsch till Per & Anna". The rest aren´t bad but, let's say, less memorable than those two.