DELAYED

ÄLGARNAS TRÄDGÅRD (Swedish, meaning Garden of the Elks) released just one album in the early 70's but recorded another one in 73-74. For some reasons the album was released as late as in 2001, aptly titled Delayed. I hadn't heard their music before, and I was positively surprised by this one. It's mostly instrumental, with some hazy, spacey psychedelia as in Saucerful Of Secrets -era PINK FLOYD (also comparisons to HAWKWIND make sense), serenity-meets-edginess à la 70's KING CRIMSON, and a certain folk-flavoured Scandinavian air to it all. BO HANSSON is mentioned too in the earlier reviews

The track lengths are missing, but they vary between very brief and very long. I yet haven't listened to this many times enough to give more detailed comments of separate tracks, but the closing song I do remember very well. it is based on an Edith Södergran poem and it's sung in Swedish (one may ask why it isn't titled 'Min barndom' instead of 'My Childhood'). It's a very fragile and atmospheric track. I came to think of the art film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovski, or more precisely, one of its most poetic, dialogueless scenes with similar eerie music (camera slowly moving above the surface of the water with all kinds of small things and organic waste in it, remember that?). And the falsetto, introvert singing reminded me of Jonsi of SIGUR ROS.

An interesting, deeply artistic album, though most likely not for everyone's taste.