AMBRA – Ambra (Symphilis, 2020; rec. 1975-1979)

 

Swedish vocals, instrumental

International relevance: ***

A symphonic quartet from Lidköping in the Western part of Sweden, existing from 1975 to 1979 but with only one single out, in 1977 on Anette, the same label Blåkulla were on. Both sides of the single ("Vandring" and "Scherzo") are here, but they obviously recorded a lot more than that – this archival disc is 80 minutes long.

Influenced by British symph rock bands, you can also spot traces from Kaipa. One blog reader described Ambra as a mix of Ragnarök and Atlas, and that's as accurate a definition as any. The synth sounds favoured by later symph bands are prevalent here supporting the fiddly guitars. They had a certain lyricism to their songs, but there's too much going on for any mood to properly settle – Ambra simply can't resist getting show-offy. I don't like the singer either; Michael Ellgren has a rather thin voice and sounds too much like a musicals reject.

Ambra indeed had ambitions and certainly some chops, but had they been a bit more economical about them, they wouldn't have become so overbearing.

Full album

LARS ALDMAN & HAFFSORKESTERN – Gud hjälpe! (Nacksving, 1977)

 Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Of all the bad Nacksving albums, and there are many, Lars Aldman's two are among the very worst (his first one ”Nånting har hänt” from 1976 is already on the blog). ”Gud hjälpe!” is embarrassing political platitudes set to a B grade version of Nationalteatern styled rock music. In an eye-pokingly ugly sleeve at that. The 8 minute ”Och hör du” could possibly have been OK if done by somebody else. This is so bad that it's no surprise that Lars Aldman refused to discuss his albums when I once asked him about them.

Trädet

ANDRA BULLAR – I krig och kärlek... och Göteborg (Silence, 1981)

Swedish vocals, a cappella

International relevance: *

The first album was like a low-calory version of Röda Bönor, lacking everything that make Röda Böners fun to listen to, especially their humour and even self-irony. For their follow-up, rhey've lost the little enthusiasm they had which obviously makes for an even duller album. Not even Kenny Håkansson can save ”I krig och kärlek... och Göteborg” from being an insipid sign of a progg movement sorely losing steam. It's almost as if Andra Bullar didn't really believe in their own feminismist manifesto anymore which in turn makes me wonder if even their first album was a simply a gold-digger's attempt at political bandwagon jumping. Röda Bönor knew how to make me listen, Andra Bullar just knew how to make me want to turn it off.

Full album playlist

VARIOUS ARTISTS – En kärlekshistoria (CBS, 1970)

Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

This is the soundtrack to Roy Andersson's first feature film ("A Love Story") which resulted in his immediate domestic breakthrough as a director (although he's best known internationally for his award winning 2000 movie ”Songs From The Second Floor”).

Björn Isfält of Xtra was hired to score the film and he's written or co-written all pieces here except ”Would You Like To” which is by Jan Bandel and Greg FitzPatrick, with vocals by Staffan Stenström. Stenström sings on four of the songs, all them also also released as singles. If his name sounds familiar, it's probably because he was also in Atlantic Ocean (and their forerunners Quints) and, as numerous others, later involved in the Tillsammans project. A more surprising name in this context is Anita Lindblom who was a commercial pop singer in the 60s and 70s, whose ”Sånt är livet” was a massive hit in 1961 and has since become a Swedish evergreen. But she had a role in the movie and was probably expected to sing as well.

As always the case with soundtrack albums, this isn't meant to be a consistent whole, and it isn't. The Lindblom tracks stick out as two sore thumbs, and while Isfält's instrumentals are pleasant, they're really not something that motivates too many listens. Which leaves Staffan Stenström's contributions which are very good. I really like his husky voice which adds a beautifully brooding atmosphere to the four songs he's on. As the singles are rather hard to come by (and the same can be said of original copies of the soundtrack LP), the CD reissue from 2003 is probably the easiest way to obtain them. I think it's worth it, actually mandatory to Atlantic Ocean fans as these four tracks make for a very nice addition to their otherwise small output.

Full album playlist

STEN ASGER-JENSEN – Clown (CBS, 1973)

 Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Little known singer/songwriter (information is scarce), but he was assumably of Danish descendance judging by his name. He released only one album in 1973 plus one single the following year. Only Janne Schaffer and Jojje Wadenius get musicians credit on the cover but it must be Björn J:son Lindh on flute.

Asger-Jensen was a rather talented songwriter with a clear inspiration from folk rock as evident on ”Färden” and the title track. He supposedly had a couple of Jethro Tull albums in his record collection too as some tracks have tastefully proggy touches. More generally speaking, ”Clown” falls roughly between ”Lagt kort ligger” John Holm and B.L. Magnell meaning this is actually quite good. Whoever plays on it, they all seem to have enjoyed their session work too because the backing sounds genuinely inspired. Try for instance ”Den femte visionen” which keeps building until it gets rather heavy with Schaffer (presumably) going stringbending crazy towards the end. 

Not a too common find but apparently rather cheap and well worth picking up if you find it. I do like it quite a bit.

AMERINDIOS – Ditt skrik är min sång – Tu grito es mi canto (Amalthea, 1978)

Other languages
International relevance: *

Amerindios was a Chilean duo consisting of Julio Numhauser and Mario Salazar, the former a founding member of Quilapayún who also had a number of Swedish releases. ”Ditt skrik är min sång” was originally released in Chile in 1973 with full title ”Tu Sueño Es Mi Sueño, Tu Grito Es Mi Canto”. It is in the Nueva Cancion style -- protest songs with light dashes of sort-of-but-not-really folk rock. Often backed by acoustic guitar and a singer or two sounding both seriously pissed off (for good reasons) and at the same time curiously happy. 

Original Chilean cover

But there are moments of surprise here, such as the short organ-laced instrumental ”Valparaiso 4 A.M.” with a slightly hazy pseudo-psychedelic vibe, and the stinging fuzz guitar in ”Cueca Beat” like straight out of a primitive garage rock single from Nowhereburg, USA 1966. I didn't see that one coming! And whatever that bizarre instrument in ”La Cervecita” is I don't know, but it sounds like a zither recorded while the producer changed the speed of the tape while recording, making that cosmic zither go WHOOOP and WHEEESH. 

All in all, a pretty good album in its style.

Full album playlist

KALLE ALMLÖF – Kalle Almlöf (Amigo, 1980)

Instrumental
International relevance: *

Kalle Almlöf's claim to blog inclusion stems from his co-operation with Arbete & Fritid/Roland Keijser associate Anders Rosén; Almlöf's first album was ”Västerdalton” which prominently featured Rosén's fiddle, and so did 1975's ”Stamp, tramp och långkut”. The eponymous 1980 album at hand marks the third time they united on disc, and it also features some further noted fiddlers, namely Pers Hans Olsson, Jonny Soling and Björn Ståbi. 

As expected, it's Swedish folk fiddling through and through with an emphasis on polskas (a particular type of dance tunes highly popular among Swedish folk musicians). The perfoming duties are split in solos and duos, and while there's nothing wrong with any of it (the skills displayed here are impeccable, needless to say), it's a collection of tunes clearly aimed at the folk music audience and not at all recorded with any progg listeners in mind. The best tracks are the most melancholic ones, particularly the two that round off the first side, ”Bakmes” (a variation on well-known Swedish folk song ”Vårvindar friska”) with Anders Rosén, and Almlöf's solo execution in ”Polska från Älvdalen”. The high point of side B is the Kalle Almlöf original ”Åreskutan”, a tribute to a Swedish mountain by the same name.

No links found.

AMANDLA – Amandla (A-Disc, 1980)

Other languages, English vocals, instrumental, spoken word
International relevance: -

Man, does the A-Disc curse go deep! Not only did they release train loads of emotionally debilitated rock music and pseudo progg, they also managed to sneak out this entirely redundant slab of ANC themed South African music.

Now, I'll readily admit I'm not a fan of South African music in general (I very much prefer the hard-boiled grooves of Northern Africa), but I can nevertheless discern when South African music is passionate. And this just isn't. It's amazing really how A-Disc could turn everything they touched into cosmic dullness.

If I am to say one nice thing about it (although I'm certainly not obliged to), ”Ngwaba Wanga” (=”my child”) is a half-decent slightly jazzy thing that could have been released on a lesser Black Jazz Records disc. But don't take that as an excuse to check this album out. I just said it to look kind. 

Welele Mandela
Ngwana Wanga 

BJÖRN ARAHB & MONICA NIELSEN – Sjunger Ture Nerman (A-Disc, 1979)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Ture Nerman was a journalist, radical social democrat (sometimes communist), anti-militarist, dedicated teetotaller, and for his time something as unusual as a vegetarian (he was born in 1886 and died in 1969). He was also a poet, and harbouring such sentiments as the ones mentioned above, his poems were well equipped for being set to music in the progg era. Some of the songs use older melodies by for instance Joe Hill, while several were written specifically for this project by Björn Arahb.

Being released on the Social Democrats' in-house label A-Disc, this is every bit as boring as you can imagine. There's no doubting that the sentiments of Arahb and fellow singer (and actor) Monica Nielsen are honest and genuine, but once again, whatever emotional impact this could have had with less self-righteous performances, soulfulness is substituted with oversinging. The musical framework is also typical of the ilk; it's either semi-cabaret-like or it sounds like The Labour Day Marches Greatest Hits.

Full album playlist

LOLLO ASPLUND – Äppelmelodier & lurendrejerier (MNW, 1983; rec. 1982)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Lollo Asplund's first album ”Eldsjäl” is reviewed here, and this is his second. Although it wasn't released until 1983 which is technically one year too late for this blog's time span, it was recorded in 1982.

”Äppelmelodier & lurendrejerier” is a children's record that retains the spirit of 70s children's progg. It's done with the honest intent to make music for kids with the same care as if it was made for grown-ups. You can of course tell right away that it's aimed at kids; the singing is more tongue-in-cheek and cheerful than on ”Eldsjäl”, and the overall performances don't have the same degree of seriousness. But the songwriting itself is as thorough as before, and Asplund even sneaks in a remake of his radio hit ”Råckenroll till frukost” from his debut album, here in a more acoustic sounding rendition. There are also more children singing along here than on ”Eldsjäl” which of obviously gives away the album's intent. And if you're familiar with the Swedish language, the lyrics are telling enough.

The overall feeling will likely not attract a post-childhood audience, but as a reminder of the spirit of the previous decade when children's music was considered something just as important as any other music deserving of acknowledged musicians such as Sten Källman (Text & Musik, Skrotbandet) and Tomas Gabrielsson (Förklädd Gud), then ”Äppelmelodier & lurendrejerier” works just fine. In the end, it stands out as one of the finer children's albums of its age.

Full album playlist 

LARS ”LACH'N” JONSSON & MATS JONSSON – Asken Yggdrasil (Bauta, 2012; rec. 1974-76)

Instrumental
International relevance: ***

A really lovely album recorded in the mid-70's but not mixed and finished until 2020. Not only is it a wonderful and unexpected blast from the past, it's also a missing piece of the Zut Un Feu Rouge and Ur Kaos puzzle. Both bands featured/features prime mover Lars ”Lach'n” Jonsson, a multi-instrumentalist but most of all drummer who also released a series of art rock solo albums in the Rē Records ilk.

Those familiar with the postpunkish RIO stylings of Zut Un Feu Rouge or the Zeuhlish assault of Ur Kaos will probably be surprised by the relative pastorality of ”Asken Yggdrasil”. I can't put it any better than what Lach'n Jonsson does himself: ”The music was created under the influence of records such as Bo Hansson – 'Lord Of The Rings'; instrumental, melodic music with a touch of old folk traditions and a Nordic atmosphere. Old Norse mythology became the theme for a musical suite, where the predictions of the Voluspa gave the motifs to form an instrumental tale.” That's exactly it!

Some tracks, all of them instrumental, are even downright romantic, such as the short piano piece ”Soluppgång” (”Sunrise”) and ”Urd, Skuld och Verdandi” (”Urd, Skuld and Verdandi”, the names of the norns that control the fate of humans in the Norse mythology). The Bo Hansson influence comes sweetly to the fore in ”Midgårdsormen” (”the snake of Midgard”) and ”Valhall” (”Valhalla”). A track like ”Ragnarök” (the twilight of the gods) in turn points toward Lach'n Jonsson's future in the abovementioned bands, with quirky rhythms and almost symphonic epicity.

Why it took until the early 10's to see this album mixed, edited and mastered is beyond me. Had it been released shortly after it was recorded, this would be heralded as a fullblown classic of the era. Well, it still is – it's just that very few people know it. Instead of wasting immodest sums of money on so called 'collectable albums” of inferior symph rock, you could get ”Asken Yggdrasil” for basically small change, and get a wonderful little album too.

Full album playlist (Bandcamp)

AUTUMN BREEZE – Demo Tapes (MyRecords, 1977-78) / På radio 1978 (MyRecords, 1978)

Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental
International relevance ***/***

When record labels failed to show any interested in Autumn Breeze's album ”Höstbris”, they released it themselves in 1979. When they reformed around 2010, they stuck to self-releasing their music, and have now several albums out on their own label MyRecords. But a compilation of demo recordings made in 1977-1978 appeared as a CD-r already in 2009. Alternately entitled ”Demo Tapes” and ”Casette Tapes” (sic!), it features not only early versions of songs ending up on ”Höstbris”, but also tracks that never made it to the LP. Some songs should have; I'd gladly have swapped the dreadful white-boy-in-an-office funk of ”U P A” and the stale disco of ”Ugglans nattvisir” for the eight minutes of ”Nr. 646” off the demo tape. The main difference between the finished versions and those takes are, as you could expect, these are rougher round the edges. Somewhat closer to 70's hard rock, they sound less refined and that's beneficial. And best of all, they don't have those cheesy synths that are all over ”Höstbris”. True those demos have their share of clumsy playing, but what they lose in precision they gain in vividness.

The second archival release, also a CD-r, features a session recorded for Swedish Radio's local Karlstad branch in 1978. Those tapes fall somewhere between the '78 demos and the '79 album. They still sound a bit under-rehearsed with some rather comic fumbles here and there, and knowing the session would be broadcast, they sound a bit tense.

Swedish Radio has always been famous for getting a great live sound, but for whatever reason the fidelity here is peculiarly muddy which obviously is a drawback. I don't know if some primitive post-production fiddling took place before being released, but there's a reverb here and there which sounds as if it was added later to cover up shortcomings on the original tape. Instead it emphasizes them. Also, the bass must have been boosted prior to release which further adds to the unbalanced and slightly messy sound.

As you can see, I much prefer the demo disc. It's not perfect, but it's imperfect in the right way. I'd even go as far as to say it's better than ”Höstbris” thanks to the rawness and energy it radiates. 

Too bad about the terrible amateurish cover art for both discs though. Somebody failed the Photoshop class...  

Demo Tapes/Casette Tapes full album playlist
På radio 1978 full album playlist

HARALD ”BAGARN” ANDERSSON, ANNA-LISA GRÖNHOLM & SVEN TJUSLINGS TRIO – Stjärnsmällar och tjuvnyp (Proletärkultur, 1978)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Another leftleftleftwing release from Proletärkultur to go along with compilations ”Stöd de strejkandehamnarbetarna”, ”Hör maskinernas sång”, and albums by Dan Berglund and Maria Hörnelius. The 'star' here must be Harald ”Bagarn” Andersson, a baker, actor and local character who shares the vocal duties with sometime actor Anna-Lisa Grönholm. Unless you count the political message, there's not much progg to expect here. The music is more towards 30's and 40's couplets with that overdone singing style verging on speech. It's otherwise well played and the sound is professional (recorded in Nacksving's state-of-the-art studio) but it's incredibly boring – definitely one of the weaker Proletärkultur outings. It's best left untouched in the cheapo bins where you're most likely to find it.

No links found

BJÖRN ARAHB – Jag är en bekymrad socialist (YTF, 1974)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Björn Arahb was a visa singer (to remind you, visa is a certain kind of Swedish singer/songwriter music) that made handful of albums in the 70's and early 80's. 

Released in 1974, it's made up by songs written and released by the #1 visa singer Cornelis Vreeswijk. Several jazz and prog alumnis back him up, including Wlodek Gulgowski, Sabu Martinez, Jan Bandel and Luis Agudo (Energy). Lorne de Wolfe of Contact designed the album cover. Together they work up a funky groove on some tracks – try for instance ”Telegram for Lucidor”, ”En visa till Ellen när hon hade flyttat hemifrån” or ”Ågren”. Thing is, you can get it too from Vreeswijk's own albums around 1969/70, and better. And as Arahb tries hard to mimick Vreeswijk's special way of phrasing, ”Jag är en bekymrad socialist” comes off as a redudant work of a lesser copycat. The album is of course meant as a tribute but it falls flat compared to the original.

Full album playlist

LOLLO ASPLUND – Eldsjäl (MNW, 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Lars Olof ”Lollo” Asplund is a rather overlooked figure now although he was a versatile, well-known character back in the day. He debuted to a wider audience already on a TV show in the early 70s, worked with a choir on one of his albums, wrote music for a movie in the 90's, performed regularly to and with children and released an album of children's music in the 80's. He wrote about music for a local newspaper and hosted several literary nights in his native town Linköping. He even scored something of a radio hit with ”Råckenråll till frukost” from his debut album ”Eldsjäl” recorded in 1980 and released the following year.

Despite being issued by MNW, ”Eldsjäl” sounds more like a Metronome album, like something by Ola Magnell. Asplund's slightly warbly voice and the occassional Latin American influence also make me think of Jan Hammarlund in places. The album has a well-rounded production courtesy of Thomas Almqvist, and a cast of musicians well acquainted to studio work including Stefan Brolund (Monica Törnell, Bernt Staf, Björn J:son Lindh, millions more), Malte Sjöstrand (Solen Skiner, Robert Broberg, Rolf Wikström and others) Ale Möller, Turid and of course Thomas Almqvist himself. The songs are well-written and there's nothing really wrong with it, not hard to listen to but essentially unengaging..

Full album playlist

ABSOLUT – Absolut (Marilla, 1976)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Only album from this religious band released on Hans Edler's curious Marilla label, and produced by Vatten main man Tomas Ernvik. That's probably the most interesting thing about ”Absolut”, because despite some decent westcoasty harmony vocals and background wah wah and soft fuzz, the songs are too undistinguished for the album to take off. Best track is ”Kurragömma”, but the album is generally typical mid 70's Christian rock, i.e. borrowing features from hipper genres but coming up flat and soulless. I'd rather recommend another, better Tomas Ernvik related album from the same year, Tillsammans.

Tomas Paulson, the brain behind Absolut, has plenty of solo albums since Absolut broke up, and he's also a fivefold Swedish champion of noughts and crosses (!). He's now known as Tomas Hagenfors, Hagenfors being his birth name.

Full album playlist

ALEXANDER LUCAS – Alexander Lucas (Subliminal Sounds, recorded 1969-1976, released 2022)

English vocals, Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

One of the 'lost' bands of Swedish 70s hard rock, with only one seven-inch released in 1973 on the Efel label. And what a seven-inch it is! Especially the 'B' side ”Svarta skogen” is a full-blooded hard rock classic. The other track, ”Speed”, might be weighed-down by embarrasingly poor English pronounciation and some flat vocals but the song itself is still good. So my interest peaked when Subliminal Sounds announced an archival release of Alexander Lucas. Especially following the label's powerhouse release of Great Ad which will stand as one of the best Swedish tape archive clear-outs for many years to come.

There's a lot to like on ”Alexander Lucas”, but it also reveals the band's shortcomings – the vocals in particular were obviously a constant problem that unfortunately weakens the impact some. The adolescent machoisms occasionally occuring are downright cringeworthy even for a hard rock band, and the material is somewhat inconsistent too. Inferior tracks include ”Race To Heaven”, ”The Saint”, a completely pointless cover of ”Johnny B. Goode” and – worst of all – the absolutely dreadful ”You're Gonna Die” that not only has seriously embarrassing lyrics but also the silliest attempt at ”scary” vocals ever. The compilation would certainly have benefitted from a less allowing selection – it would have presented Alexander Lucas in a generally better light and the listener would have had fewer annoying moments. Nothing here is as good as the 45 tracks that open the album, but there are still a few things here that stand up fairly well and deserve to be heard. The guitar playing is pretty great too, with a nice bite and quite a few Eastern influences. I can also sense small bits of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, November and even Deep Purple scattered among the tracks. ”Free To Ride” even comes off as an early blueprint for a Motörhead that hadn't yet made their debut on record! 

I wouldn't call this essential to the casual listener, but if you're interested in obscure 70s hard rock, this will surely be a welcome listen, especially if you harness your expectations and are prepared for a couple of duds along the way.

Full album playlist

ASTON REYMERS RIVALER – Complete albums 1979-1981

While a first glance may not reveal any overt progg credentials, Aston Reymers Rivaler were in fact cut from the same cloth as Peps (especially in his later years), Ronny Åström and Dag Vag. Mixing African influences, reggae and other Caribbean styles with elements of both cajun music and old-timey Swedish dance tunes, it's no wonder that several Dag Vag members occasionally sat in with the band, and that the ever so open-minded Per Tjernberg, fresh from Archimedes Badkar and then known as Per Cussion, was a permanent member for a while. Also, their first two albums were released by Musiklaget, the very same label responsible for Bättre Lyss, Solen Skiner, Underground Failure and other certified proggsters.

Aston Reymers Rivaler were originally a street band, and a continuation of obscure rock outfit Rockslusk who subsequently had two tracks on a Sista Bussen tape compilation entitled ”Mediokra hjärnor” in 1982. Aston Reymers Rivaler released several albums in the 80's, but only the first three fit in with this blog's timeframe.

Från myggjagare till foträta (Musiklaget, 1979)
Swedish lyrics, instrumental
International relevance: *

The debut LP immediately defined Aston Reymers Rivaler's eclectic musical mix and demonstrated their penchant for exuberant tongue-in-cheek performances. But if the humourous element seemed fresh and catchy back in the day, it unfortunately sounds dated today, a bit like those 'funny' hats you see in 40 years old pictures of your parents at parties that seemed cheerful then but cringe-worthy today. Still it has a couple of OK tracks, namely ”Sambo” (although the possibly ironic jungle themed lyrics are relentlessly dated) and the bittersweet instrumental Russian traditional ”Metsäkukkia”. The track ”Bruno och Vera” was chosen for a single and gave the band a minor hit.

Kräål (Musiklaget, 1980)
Swedish lyrics, instrumental
International relevance: *

Second album ”Kräål” (= the word ”creole” with a made-up Swedish spelling) was a bit more polished than its predecessor, but similar in style. The track ”Stockholms ström” was never released as a single, but it quickly became a massive radio success nonetheless. A Swedish cover of Millie's early ska hit ”My Boy Lollipop” entitled ”(Min tjej) Sockertopp” is this album's cringe peak, while their first full-on foray into reggae ”(Vi bygger om) Hela Stockholm” is surprisingly credible with its mild use of dub effects. Fittingly enough, it features Peps on backing vocals, clavinet and tambourine. Thinking of it, it wouldn't have been out of place on Peps' own album ”Spår”.

A non-album single from around this time brought the band another hit, as the anti-nuclear power calypso ”Godis är gott” was released with the March 1980 nuclear power referendum in mind. ”Godis är gott” and ”Stockholms ström” are probably Aston Reymers Rivaler's still best known tracks.

Tvål (Metronome, 1981)
International relevance: *
Swedish vocals, instrumental

For their third album ”Tvål”, the band switched labels from the independent Musiklaget to major label Metronome which may partly explain why it suffers from a duller sound. Also, their patented gumbo of styles began wearing thin at this point. You may not like the first two albums, but they were nevertheless bubbling with joy whereas ”Tvål” sounds predictable and lacklustre. Album opener ”Jakten på amazonkvinnornas guld” is a decent stab at New Orleans rhythm & blues (with some nice harmonica work to boot), but again, the best track is another brooding extended reggae number called ”Det går”.

Från myggjagare till foträta full album playlist
Kräål full album playlist
Tvål full album playlist

THOMAS ALMQVIST - The Journey (Mistlur, 1980)

 Instrumental

Iinternational relevance: **

Thomas Almqvist's second solo effort is an altogether different beast to his debut "Nyanser" released a year earlier. Gone are (most of) the tranquil new age styled relaxation pieces for acoustic guitars, and in its place, more complex and fusion invoked workouts with a full band on several of the cuts. The title of the opening number "L.A. Exit" suggests the same studio gloss of L.A. Express's stockbroker fusion as the the music itself. While some tracks are still acoustic, they too reveal a change in aesthetics. Although I'd never listen to fusion unless I had this blog or was threatened by blunt force to my head (perhaps not even then), I can still distinguish good fusion from bad fusion, and this falls heavy in the latter category.

At least "Nyanser" had its qualities as unintrusive and faceless background music perfect for watering your plants or wiping the dust you've put of wiping off the shelves for far too long already, but this is just plain boring. 

Full album playlist

THOMAS AHLSÉN BAND – Fåtölj... (Knäpp, 1979)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

With Borås situated only a couple of miles outside Gothenburg, it might not come as a surprise that Borås locals Thomas Ahlsén Band reveal some traces of Ensamma Hjärtan and Huntington Band. But there's more to the curiously entitled ”Fåtölj...” (”armchair”) than that. Thomas Ahlsén himself sometimes sings with a Stig Vig (of Dag Vag) inspired drawl, and the album is rather diverse, spanning from the melancholy opening track and album highlight ”Fåtöljen” with it's biting guitar work, to the vaguely reggae influenced ”Gud bevare kungen”, ”Jag har inte hört nå't” that draws heavily on Samla Mammas Manna, and the moody afterhours semi jazz of album closer ”Vägarna leder dig tillbaks” that moves somewhere in the region of later Blå Tåget and Stockholm Norra. Actually, the album has a peculiar overall nightly underground feel, even on the loudest track ”Bly” which borrows more than a little from The Velvet Underground's ”Sweet Jane”.

”Fåtölj...” isn't an essential album but it has a few things going for it. It's pleasant, and it definitely is more interesting than most of what Gothenburg had to offer in 1979.

Ahlsén originally worked as a nurse and was a relatively unexperienced singer when he recorded ”Fåtölj...”. Guitarist/sax player Stefan Sandberg on the other hand had previously been in Modern Music Band, while drummer Rikard Olson used to be in Combo 8, Skrotbandet and, along with keyboard player Örjan Hill, in Lars Aldman & Haffsorkestern.
 

Full album playlist