BARNDOMENS STIGAR

Kultivator were a band from Sweden who only released this one album. This is a great album released at a time when we are told 'prog' was on life-support. For 1981, progressive rock doesn't get much better than this. The music here is an interesting cross between Canterbury and Zeuhl. There is guitar, bass, drums and keyboards(Rhodes, organ, synth). Some flute and other traditional folky instruments. Both male and female vocals. The latter remind me of both Hatfield's Northettes and the singers from Eskaton.

You can listen to the first song "Hoga Hastar" here on PA. What a song it is! Listen to the drums and bass at the beginning. Wow. This song has a memorable organ part. Nice sound from the Rhodes before it goes into a folky part with flute. Later on there is a guitar solo with some synth. "Vemod" is where Anekdoten got the name of their first album. "Kara Jord" has a great Zeuhl-like section that starts 2 1/2 minutes in. About 5 1/2 minutes there is a Zeuhl bass part with a Canterbury guitar solo. Sweet. The title track starts off folky with flute. Before the first minute comes some great drums, bass and Rhodes. The flutes from the beginning come back. A good organ solo in this song.

"Grottekvarnen" has some great drumming. A nice organ solo before an atmospheric section with lots of hi-hat action. Drums pick up then a great fuzzy guitar solo. "Varfol" starts off with a Rhodes and guitar part that sounds like Samla Mamma Manna. "Novarest" has male and female vocals doing a call-and-response of the song title. I like the guitar tone in this song. Love the Rhodes part that starts 2 1/2 minutes in.

Of the two bonus songs here, "Haxdans" is the most interesting. There is some kind of traditional percussion which sounds like tabla. Nice synth at the beginning. The majority of the song is very fusionesque. If you love Hatfield & The North as well as Magma, then you'll love this album. The sound and production is not the greatest, but the compositions and playing is great. 4 stars.