VIANDRA

I was very surprised that this final Lars Hollmer solo-release was not listed on Prog Archives, fortunately that minor inconsistency was easy to fix and now more people can learn of this great swan song of an album!

Viandra follows in the same vain as many of Hollmer's previous solo albums where he plays accordion/keyboards and the tracks feature a couple of guest appearances but there are a few subtle differences this time around. Granted that Lars Hollmer's previous albums never sounded forced or uninspired I would actually like to state that this release feels to me even more heart felt and genuine than the artist that I've heard on the previous albums. At first Viandra might seem like just a simple accordion driven album but there is a lot more to it all than meets the eye (or ear). If you tap along with the music while listening you'll notice some really odd rhythm patterns that should impress even the most technical bands out there.

One of the more obvious progressive compositions is Snabb (Fast) which features an excellent guest appearance by Morgan Ågren of Mats/Morgan who does some mesmerizing drum work on here without overshadowing Hollmer's original composition. Only a few other compositions feature percussions which in my opinion really sets the mood for this truly timeless music.

I would also like to mention that this album is available on Spotify so if you are one of the few lucky ones who happens to have an account I definitely recommend listening to this album.

***** star songs: Viandra (2:49) Mirror Objects (1:19) Snabb (Fast) (4:19) Merged With Friends (1:47) Konstig (Strange) (4:41) Strutt (Strut) (1:54) Lilla Bye (Little Bye) (2:50)

**** star songs: Sök (Seek) (2:09) Moldaviska (1:09) Påztema (3:51) Prozesscirk (4:34) Baladeis (2:51) Första 05 (First 05) (3:33) Alice (4:11) Överdagö (2:28) Folkdron Menad (5:24)