SÖDERUT

The third full-length studio album NeoKrautrock release from these young Swedes since their 2017 debut, a journey that began with a string four EPs before finally releasing their first LP in 2020 (the first of two that year!).

CD1 (37:54) 1. "Vart tog du v​ä​gen" (5:45) singer Johny Karlsson Kern seems to be channeling David Byrne's voice (8.75/10)

2. "Tiden" (3:50) could be a punk rock song from the late 1970s or early 1980s--as if David Byrne sang the lead vocals over an early BERLIN song. (8.6667/10)

3. "Jagar dig" (7:44) driving, hypnotic rhythm track (using two ostinato bass notes and 4/4 straight time) over which electric viola and self-echoed electric guitar solo. At the end of the fourth minute the heavily-treated viola gets a turn, creating very spacey/synth-like sounds over which Johnny begins to croon. At 5:55 there is an actually shift in the dynamic of the rhythm section, as if they're shifting into a slightly higher gear (while never really changing pace). Soon after Johnny stops crooning and flute and crazed viola take turns soloing ... to the end. (13/15)

4. "Cirkeln" (8:06) the first interesting, non-Krautrock song opening has drums, percussion, guitar, bass, and flute "hits" being thrown into a linear pile. At the one-minute mark everybody lines up to create a gentle, forward-moving song. The flute, viola, guitar, and bass play on this one are the best on the album: very creative and nonconformist. Definitely the best bass playing on the album. Though it does drag on a bit, this is definitely my favorite song on the album. (14/15)

5. "Br​ättom" (12:29) despite containing the most interesting drumming on the album, the first five minutes of this song is rendered almost unlistenable by the amateurish play of the annoying mosquito-sounding lead guitar. Not even the pleasant flute and creative viola play can save this one. But, at the five-minute mark Johnny enters with a song in his voice and everything stops and shifts into a totally different rhythm pattern. As Johnny stops singing at the end of the eighth minute sustained airy flute notes, pizzicato violin arpeggi and more (but better) mosquito guitar interplay makes for a pleasant and engaging weave (though it's the drumming and subtly shifting viola arpeggi that attract most of my attention). Thank goodness for that shift at 5:00 or else this would have been a very lowly rated song. (21.75/25)

CD2 (37:23) 1. "Inte mer" (7:16) a pleasant enough jam to get into--with interesting interplay from flute, electric guitar and electric viola, but it turns out to be more like something long and drawn out from OZRIC TENTACLES than their previous stuff. (13/15)

2. "Utan n​å​nting på dig" (5:55) a cappella voce opens this before tumbling into a plodding blues-rock form. Voice and electric guitar trade outputs just as a blues song would do while the rhythm section uphold a loose near-Reggae pattern. Everything just sounds so rudimentary and cheesy: especially the first guitar, bass, and drumming. (8.6667/10)

3. "Då v​ä​ntar jag" (6:41) going after a 1960s California Surf Rock vibe with this one, there's just not anything else to make it more interesting than that. (8/10)

4. "Led mig h​å​rifr​ä​n" (7:41) opening with another rhythm pattern from the bass and drums that plays ad nauseam beneath Johnny's same-same vocals. There is more scratchy viola and sax here to make things a little more interesting. Why they didn't do more of this over the course of the album I do not know. (13.125/15)

5. "S​öderut" (9:52) repeating vocal sample, cymbal play, and a repeating progression of sustained bass chords open this one before Johnny joins in with a brief introductory delivery of lyrics. After that, the band moves into an interesting minimalist rhythm pattern over which viola, electric guitar, and saxophone have a free-for-all. At the five minute mark everything backs off except the rhythm section so that guitar can take the center but by the end of the sixth minute the other two soloists (sax and viola) have resumed adding their dissonant flourishes here and there. It's a great groove from the rhythm section, and the interplay of the three soloists is interesting, but, unfortunately, there's nothing special to come of it except hypnotic numbness. (17.25/20)

Total Time 75:17

Unfortunately, I don't see/hear a lot of growth since their last album--their self-titled 2020 debut, which I love and which I keep songs like "Dagarna försvann/Dagar försvinner" and "Till dig ännu en gång" in my regular rotation of playlists to this day. The music from that album was so refreshing because no one else had been doing anything like that (that I'd heard) for decades, but Söderat has so few surprises that each song quickly fades into background music as I listen. In my opinion, the band has devolved into more of a jam band than an experimental NeoKrautrock band.

B-/3.5 stars; an interesting contribution to Prog World of NeoKrautrock that, unfortunately, does not live up to the promise of the band's 2020 debut. Still, recommended for any fans of Krautrock music: you may find it far more interesting and enjoyable than I.