FRANS MOSSBERG – Tystnader (Piglet, 1982)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Singer and guitarist Frans Mossberg was part of the Uppsala scene centered around Sub-gruppen and Störningen in the mid/late 70s, but it wasn't until 1982 his lone solo album appeared on the mysterious Piglet label. ”Tystnader” is a bad album made even worse by the digital reissue's appalling brickwall mastering. What was previously just an album of subpar singer/songwriter stuff has now become a bloody chore to sit through thanks to the ravaged sound. There's a certain place in hell for people doing this to music, be it bad or good.

Full album playlist for self-harmers

SUB-GRUPPEN – När dom talar om fred (Subverskivbolaget, 1975)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Subverskivbolaget was a shortlived Uppsala label releasing local bands like Rävjunk, Hemkört and Mobben. Sub-gruppen was a temporary constellation with members of Mobben and Teddybjörn Band. Also included are one track each by Trotsålderns Barn and Svend-Urban & The Bronkettes although the latter is probably just Sub-gruppen under another name. It's not a good album at all, with political lyrics and cringy vocals. The only exception would be Trotsålderns Barn whose ”Ingen av oss” is a pretty memorable track with a couple of unexpected twists and some nice guitar work. It's the only track here that sounds like it was recorded by a real band simply because it was.

Ingen av oss (Trotsålderns Barn)
När dom talar om fred
Chile Chile 
Katalansk rock
Inte en dag, inte en natt (Svend-Urban & The Bronkettes)
Privatchaufför och allt

TEDDYBJÖRN BAND – Teddybjörn Band (Piglet, 1980)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

A late-coming wannabe progg band based in Uppsala with a stupid name to boot ('Teddybear Band'). Teddybjörn Band released their sole folk shaded progressive styled album on the baffingly inconsistent and diverse Piglet label, home to Jonas Palm and others.

Opening track ”Toradans” is half decent as a lead-foot Samla Mammas Manna rip-off, but marred by stiff drumming and a synth sounding as if it was nicked from ABBA. The drumming is in fact a problem to the entire album, which is perplexing once you realize there are three different drummers playing here; Hasse Bruniusson (Samla Mammas Manna), Ingemar Bergman (Kaipa), and Per Gulbrandsen (Sub-gruppen, Störningen). It's not easy to tell them apart as all of them offer up such stiff performances they make a pile driver sound like a James Brown 45.

The vocals are mostly overwrought and overbearing and the worst singer of them all is Ann Chabaan who appeares on a couple of tracks. She takes the lead on ”Du har gett upp”, sounding like a bad dream to ruin even vibrato wobbler Jan Hammarlund's sleep.

To top it off, the production is clinical, almost sounding like a Nacksving album.

Teddybjörn Band tries contortionally to come up with something worthwhile but constantly lose themselves in a morass of clichéd pretentiousness.

One of the singers in the band, Frans Mossberg, did the cover painting and released 1982 solo album "Tystnader", also on Piglet.

Full album