HEMKÖRT – I ett hörn av trädgården (Subverskivbolaget, 1976)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Subverskivbolaget, or SUB, was Uppsala's musicians collective SUB-gruppen's label. Run by members of Mobben and Störningen, their best known act was probably Rävjunk who had a couple of 45s out on SUB.

Geography was obviously more important to SUB than musical quality. ”I ett hörn av trädgården” is a testament to that. While Hemkört's playing skills aren't the worst I've heard, the singing sounds as if it was cut straight from a jolly pub night after too few beers and yet too many. The material is of mostly traditional origin with a couple of 'fight workers!' numbers throw in for mandatory measure. The album is lacklustre at best, and at worst (most of the time) best left to oblivion.

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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