LENA EKMAN – Det beror på ögonen som ser (Mistlur, 1980)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

I didn't expect this to be anything but a disappointment after Lena Ekman's first proper album: ”Hjulspår” is simply one of the best yet-to-be-properly-discovered progg albums, at times a haunting LP that beats Turid in her own game by a mile and gives Stenblomma a run for her money too. With three years apart and a new label (Mistlur instead of Silence), ”Det beror på ögonen som ser” was deemed to have lost something, or at least be different enough to be a let down. Not that change is a bad thing, but ”Hjulspår” is in a special league with qualities that are hard to repeat, and even harder to follow up on a second album.

And no, it's not another ”Hjulspår”, but do not repeat my mistake: ”Det beror på ögonen som ser” is a very fine achievement. Ekman's slightly husky, mature voice is as inviting as ever, and the songs are mostly very good. As a matter of fact, it's hard to pick a weak one and much easier to choose a favourite, which is the excellent ”Vänner ändå”. Almost all of them are Ekman originals, but she manages to sneak in a cover of Danish singer/songwriter Trille as first track. Name players such Hasse Bruniusson, Marie Selander, Turid, Thomas Almqvist and, at the top of the heap, Kjell Westling offer a very pleasing lowkey backdrop that puts Ekman's appealing vocals in the sweet centre spot. The album has a pronounced acoustic feel; a delicate setting for Ekman's delicate songs.

”Det beror på ögonen som ser” is definitely worth picking up by those into the singer/songwriter side of progg, and it's good enough also for those who just happened to have a love for well-crafted and subdued songs well-equipped for playing at dusk.

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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 ALMQVIST – Nyanser (Mistlur, 1979)

Instrumental

International relevance: **

Often hired session musician Thomas Almqvist has recorded several albums of his own; ”Nyanser” was his first and reveals his appreciation for classical guitar. The music also incorporates elements of jazz thanks to Hans Peter Andersson's various saxophones, Elise Einardotter's Fender Rhodes piano and Peter Öberg's drum patterns. It's a soothing album with Almqvist's acoustic guitar to the fore, sometimes reminiscent of new age guitarist Michael Hedges, and sometimes in the style of John Renbourn's 80's albums. Pleasant for background listening but not very engaging when you turn the volume up.

Intro
E.M.
Horisont
Quebeck
Coral Reef
Sortie